Madam Chair, I would like to make a brief comment.
I believe that Quebec and the provinces need predictability, and the provinces need to be able to fully support their own health jurisdictions. The provinces do not need paternalistic measures that would tell them what to do or interfere in their jurisdictions.
I will now talk about the old age security pension. In Canada, the retirement age was brought back down from 67 to 65, and the government is pleased with itself for doing that. Every Canadian is entitled to the old age security pension starting at 65, whether they worked or not. It is a universal social program. Everyone can count on that pension as of age 65.
The government is saying that in its budget, it is honouring its commitment to increase the old age security pension by 10% starting at age 75, but it is compromising the universality of old age security. The government is telling people who get old age security at 65 that they will have to wait 10 years to get an increase that they should really be getting at 65, considering seniors have the same needs at 65 as they do at 75.
Why did the government discriminate against seniors aged 65 to 74, a 10-year period during which these people are very vulnerable and would be entitled to the old age security pension?