Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank the hon. member for her question. Contrary to what she has suggested, I want to point out that I am far from being opposed to the idea of the government supporting the poor in our society. That is not the issue.
What I said in my speech is that we are creating two classes of senior citizens. I think this is what makes this new program totally unacceptable.
Let me give you another example, that of a seniors couple with a family income of approximately $80,000 a year, currently entitled to benefits. Let us compare that couple to another with a family income of about $45,000, after the year 2001. The couple currently receiving pension benefits from the program would still enjoy these benefits after the year 2001, even with an income of $80,000 a year, whereas the couple whose income would total $45,000 a year would not be entitled to these benefits under the new policy of this government.
This is totally unacceptable, and this is what I condemned in my speech; it was not the support given to the poor in our society.