Madam Speaker, today, October 1, is National Seniors Day. I wish all seniors in Canada and around the world a very happy day.
It is a real privilege to rise in the House to talk about our government's work to make life better and more affordable for Canadian seniors. Seniors are a growing segment of the Canadian population. It is therefore important that governments reflect on how our policies and approaches can best meet the needs of a rapidly changing demographic.
We have a wide variety of needs and desires in life. However, at the end of the day, we all want much the same things in our golden years: to maintain our independence, to stay connected to our friends and loved ones, and to age in place as long as possible. That is our government's commitment to Canadian seniors. No matter where they live, all seniors in this country should be able to age on their own terms, with dignity and choice.
Since 2015, despite opposition from the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois, our government has taken significant steps to strengthen the financial security of this country's seniors, including restoring the age of eligibility for OAS and the GIS to 65, after the previous Conservative government raised it to 67 in Davos. Our government also increased the GIS to give low-income single seniors up to $947 more per year, despite opposition from the Conservative Party and the Bloc Québécois.
The rising cost of living and global inflation are affecting all Canadians: seniors, students, young families, everyone. That is why, when we took steps to put money back into the pockets of Canadians, we made sure to take into account the specific needs of our seniors. We doubled the GST tax credit for six months and sent $500 payments to nearly two million renters to help them cope with the cost of housing, despite the relentless efforts of the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois. Once again, they voted against these measures.
We implemented the Canadian dental care plan for over 750,000 Canadians, starting with seniors. It is frightening. The Bloc Québécois and the Conservatives would have deprived 750,000 Canadians of the dental care that they need. That is the hypocrisy we are witnessing in the House today.
Bloc members—sovereignists, separatists—want a snap election so that a Conservative government can take power. According to the Bloc, a Conservative government will create the winning conditions needed for their sovereignty project to see the light of day. What kind of impact would their project have? First, it would threaten OAS for all seniors in Quebec. What the Bloc Québécois does not want to admit to Quebec's seniors is that their sovereignty plan and their opportunistic little plot would hurt Quebec's seniors. Such is the irony of today's debate.
The changes we have made have truly improved the lives of Canadian seniors. These changes remain true to the retirement security systems we have relied on for many years. It is not a question of blowing them up in an attempt to find new solutions, but of strengthening them and ensuring that they keep on meeting seniors' diverse and ever-changing needs. This includes strengthening one of the cornerstones of Canada's public retirement income system, old age security.
Old age security gives Canadian seniors peace of mind in their retirement years. It provides essential income security to millions of Canadians every year, particularly low-income recipients of old age security who are also entitled to the guaranteed income supplement.
As I said earlier today, $71 billion will be transferred to seniors' pockets over the next five years through the increases and enhancements from the Liberal Party of Canada. We know that the older seniors get, the more financially vulnerable they become. Their incomes decline as they age, and they often have to spend more to cover their health costs. They also face greater financial risks due to an increased risk of health problems, the loss of a spouse or partner, and the possibility of outliving their savings. This financial vulnerability only worsens when seniors have a reduced ability to supplement their income through paid work. This is particularly true for seniors aged 75 and over.
When we increased the OAS by 10% for seniors aged 75 and over, it was the first permanent increase since the 1970s. It was a historic change aimed at meeting the financial needs of some of the most vulnerable seniors in our communities. Providing full pensioners with an $800 supplement in the first year alone strengthened the financial security of 3.3 million seniors, 56% of whom are women. It was an important step in making life better and more affordable for Canadian seniors. We know, however, that there is still work to be done.
It is rather cynical of the opposition parties, including the Bloc Québécois, to accuse us of having a two-tier system when we used evidence and data to improve old age security. There needs to be greater improvement for those with greater need. This was proven by studies, statistics, sources of information. This decision was made based on evidence and data and with the greatest compassion. It is absolutely absurd to hear the Bloc Québécois say that it is a two-tier system. We are the party that has improved and secured pensions in Canada the most. What has the Bloc Québécois done?
Whether on the guaranteed income supplement, housing or dental care, we have systematically met with resistance from the Bloc to support seniors, including the most vulnerable seniors in Canada. That is hypocrisy. They should be ashamed to rise in the House and talk about a two-tier system. Never has a Canadian government been there more for seniors than this government formed by the Liberal Party of Canada. Today the Bloc Québécois is being mistrustful, cynical, hypocritical and opportunistic.
That is why our government continues to invest in the lives of seniors in this country. Investment in our pharmacare program will help one in four Canadians and one in five seniors living with diabetes, so they can monitor, test and treat their diabetes without worrying about the cost. They would have to worry about the cost if the Conservatives and the Bloc got their way; those parties would be against that too. Investment in our dental care program, opposed by the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois, has not only helped over 750,000 Canadians get the care they need but will also support 200,000 Quebec seniors.
Again: this will help 200,000 Quebec seniors.
The uptake on this new program has been nothing short of phenomenal. In just five months, 750,000 Canadians and counting have gotten their teeth cleaned by a hygienist for the first time in years.
They have gotten new dentures after wearing old ones for decades. They have had that toothache looked at after simply living and suffering through the pain. They have gained the confidence to smile again after avoiding the dentist's office down the street because they needed to put food on the table for their family.
Those are real numbers. Those are real statistics, but they mean little to the Conservative Party and to the Bloc Québécois; it is just an abstraction. They mean a lot to the people who are benefiting from them. These folks over here want to fool and deceive Canadians out of getting the care they deserve, but they will find the Liberal Party in their way. We will be sure to keep reminding folks to sign up and get the care they are entitled to. As long as we're here, dental care is a reality in this country.
However, the things so many of us seek in our senior years, such as independence and staying connected to the people around us, are not just things that health care programs alone can solve. That is why I am so proud to see funding from the New Horizons for Seniors program reach senior-serving organizations and communities across Canada every year. New Horizons helps seniors fight social isolation, be included in their communities and live enriched lives. From curling clubs in Prince Edward Island to senior centres in the Yukon, the program helps seniors to be more connected and active members of their community. As more and more seniors have also chosen to age in their own homes, we have also launched the age well at home initiative.
This is another measure the Bloc Québécois and the Conservative Party opposed.
This offers up the helping hands that seniors sometimes need to make it possible. That means supporting local food delivery programs and those helping seniors shovel snow in the winter.
You oppose direct investments in meals on wheels in Gatineau. You oppose direct investments in seniors in Montreal, at the Chic Resto Pop. You oppose—