Mr. Speaker, on October 25, I rose in the House to ask a question about the fact that many of our constituents continue to live in poverty.
In 2018, in the world's 10th largest economic power, a large part of the population still lives in poverty and the government is not taking any real steps to address the problem. That is completely unacceptable. The time for promises has passed. It is now time to take action.
This government promised to help lift hundreds of thousands of seniors out of poverty. The Liberals promised that eligible seniors would be automatically signed up for the guaranteed income supplement, but they have failed almost half a million low-income seniors who are still not receiving that benefit because the reform applies only to new applicants. Seniors who are eligible for this benefit are therefore not automatically enrolled, and yet too many low-income seniors are still not aware that they are eligible for the GIS.
That is why the NDP has been asking for a long time that all eligible individuals receive the GIS automatically. The NDP is asking the government to make GIS enrolment automatic for all seniors and to further increase that benefit so that our seniors are not living in poverty.
These people have incomes of less than $10,000. Will the government finally ensure that they have a decent income and grant them the benefits to which they are entitled? With our country's aging population, it is high time that the government made sure that all seniors have a decent income. We need to ensure that no one is slipping through the cracks in a rich country like ours.
The situation is definitely critical. We know that inequality is growing exponentially around the world and becoming more glaring by the day. I believe it is high time that the government took responsibility and put in place ambitious mechanisms to fight this persistent poverty that threatens our country's future. While inequality grows every year in Canada, it seems that no government, to date, has been able to implement a policy to resolve the problem of poverty in this country.
Over the past year, the fortunes of Canadian billionaires have grown by almost $28 billion. Tax fairness could have helped 4.9 million Canadians who are living below the poverty line. To reduce this poverty that brings shame to Canada, I believe we must be proactive, as recently suggested by the Canadian Medical Association, which believes that investing in social measures would be a more powerful antidote than repeated increases in health budgets.
That is why I am urging the government to listen to the recommendations of organizations, especially Campaign 2000, that are asking it to establish truly progressive policies that can finally eliminate the gap between rich and poor.
My question is therefore simple: when will the government put in place a real concerted strategy to fight poverty? Seniors, families, children, the unemployed, indigenous children, persons with disabilities, refugees, and a great number of Canadians are waiting for the government to take action and put an end to the scourge of poverty.