Madam Speaker, there is no question of dividing our seniors up. We know how important they are.
I have had my Quebec FADOQ membership card since I turned 50. I have been in at least four clubs since then. I am only 58 now, and I am considered a senior. Who decides who gets a senior's card? Some people are seniors at 65 years old. People in Quebec are seniors at 60 years old. My colleague was in the National Assembly. He knows very well that the age of eligibility for a pension was 60 in Quebec. Why create a division between 65-year-olds and 60-year-olds? Why did his government decide to grant this pension?
When I was elected, my colleague's federal government wanted to raise the retirement age to 67. Why create a division among seniors at 67? The first thing our government did was roll back the retirement age to 65.
It is not a question of dividing seniors up. It is a question of providing help to seniors aged 75 and over, to the ones who are most vulnerable, to women, to people with disabilities, to the Quebec women who defended their families, raised several children and worked hard at home but do not have a pension. That is why we decided to help seniors aged 75 and over, especially women.