Mr. Speaker, as a matter of fact we are making major service improvements in 1999 to the renewal of guaranteed income supplement and spousal allowance benefits as part of the International Year of Older Persons. These changes will permit over one million seniors to renew their benefits automatically. No more will pensioners have to rush to complete unnecessary paperwork or worry about having their payments interrupted. This is the best improvement to the GIS-SPA program in 31 years.
In the House of Commons on October 26th, 1998. See this statement in context.