Mr. Speaker, as the member of Parliament for London-Middlesex I have received considerable input from my constituents about the new seniors benefit which begins in 2001. I also had the recent opportunity to meet with the London Council for Seniors to discuss this important new program.
Based on the input I have received, the vast majority of my constituents who are seniors support the new seniors benefit. They understand that it is fairer and that 75 per cent of Canadian seniors will receive the same or higher benefits.
One area of concern raised was a possible discrimination against married senior couples as compared to single seniors who cohabit. Senior married couples want to know that the rules about combined incomes will be applied the same way in both cases.
I call on the government to review this concern carefully and to ensure a fair and just application of the new rules as they apply to the income of all seniors.