Madam Speaker, seniors in east Vancouver, the self-employed and those approaching retirement worry about the future as they watch their pension plans fall apart. Many seniors in our community live in poverty and it is even harder to get by during this economic recession.
The problems with Canada's pension system are serious and they must be fixed.
The NDP has introduced a comprehensive plan to reform Canada's pension program. We want to see a national pension insurance program to protect workers' pensions from company shortfalls, an increase to contributions to CPP benefits, and something which I think is especially important, a significant increase in the guaranteed income supplement to a level that will eliminate seniors' poverty. The seniors of east Vancouver desperately need this.
It is high time the income security of seniors was made a top priority. I call on the government to move swiftly to adopt these proposals. They are affordable, responsible and simply the right things to do.