Mr. Speaker, the motion speaks of the respect and security to which seniors are entitled, particularly older women. I agree and I am in favour of this. However, this motion really bothers me because of phrases such as “underfunding of seniors programs”. That is true. Action is also called for in the sectors of health and pharmacare, with recreation, education, training and families also mentioned. Thus, I would ask the member how will she reconcile all this with provincial jurisdiction? We must remember that these are areas of provincial jurisdiction.
For years, the Bloc Québécois has made demands regarding the guaranteed income supplement. The federal government has never properly seen to the interests of seniors and now it wants to cover such a vast array of items with this motion to solve problems not within its jurisdiction.
We would be happy with a transfer of the required funds, no strings attached, so that the government closest to seniors could deal with the difficulties they experience.