Alice Wong

[Seniors, November 18th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, in 2007 our government created the National Seniors Council and I commend it for its hard work on matters related to the well-being and quality of life of seniors. This includes work on issues such as elder abuse, volunteering among seniors, positive and active aging, and senior participation in the workforce.

This year I directed the NSC to study a new priority, the social isolation of seniors, and I look forward to their report. This is exactly what we have done for our great seniors.

[Seniors, November 18th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, no other government has done as much for seniors as our government under the leadership of the Prime Minister. We believe in working for action. That is why we have done an action plan for seniors with 22 different departments. With that report we know that we are doing well. We have lowered taxes for seniors, increased funding for the GIS, and also encouraged healthy, active aging. That is why our seniors love us but not the NDP.

[Seniors, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, our government accomplished this by making record commitments to seniors across Canada through cutting taxes, introducing policies like pension income splitting, increasing the GIS, and more, all of which are found in my new “Government of Canada: Action for Seniors” report, available on my website.

Even though the Liberals and NDP continue to oppose these initiatives, our government knows what matters most to seniors, and we will continue to stand up for them in the House.

[Seniors, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, our strategy is to continue to work hard for seniors across Canada.

We will continue with our record support of seniors through initiatives such as increasing funding to community-based projects for seniors, which both the NDP and the Liberals voted against.

Our low-tax plan has helped to remove nearly 400,000 seniors from the tax rolls completely, which again both the Liberals and the NDP opposed.

A policy the Liberal leader has promised to repeal, pension splitting for seniors, is keeping hard-earned money in their pockets where it belongs.

[Taxation, September 16th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal leader should explain why he has threatened to reverse income splitting and force seniors and families to pay more tax. This type of Liberal arrogance toward middle-class Canadian families and seniors is all too familiar. This is the same party that opposed the universal child care benefit because it thought parents would spend it on beer and popcorn. This is the same party that opposed every tax cut and measure our government has introduced for families and seniors, measures that are saving $3,400 this year for average families and have taken nearly 400,000 seniors off the tax rolls completely.

[Seniors, June 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, seniors in Canada can be proud of the record support they are seeing from this government.

We have increased tax relief for seniors, increased funding for the new horizons for seniors program, and are investing in programs to help seniors, such as the targeted initiative for older workers.

That member and that party voted against all of these. We will take no lessons from the NDP, which would raise taxes for all Canadians, including seniors.

[Seniors, April 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for that great question. Under this government, seniors have seen record support from our keeping taxes low. We have provided over $2.8 billion in annual tax relief to seniors. Hundreds of thousands of seniors have been removed from the tax rolls completely.

I am proud of the difference we are making. What seniors do not want is to see their taxes raised. Under the Liberal leader's reckless definition, pensioners and retirees are not middle-class, because they live off of their savings and are on the list for a Liberal tax hike. The Liberal leader's high tax, high spending agenda would threaten jobs and set seniors back.

We will not let that happen.

[Seniors, February 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague on the Conservative side for that great question.

We are proud of the support we have seen for seniors in economic action plan 2014. We have seen an 11% increase in funding to the new horizons for seniors program; the renewal of the targeted initiative for older workers program, which assists unemployed older workers reintegrate into the workforce; the creation of the Canadian employers for caregivers action plan to help caregivers participate in the labour market, and the list goes on.

All Canadians, especially seniors, can be proud of economic action plan 2014.

[The Budget, February 25th, 2014]

Oh, come on. That is not true.

[The Budget, February 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the budget is great for seniors and also for those people with disabilities. For example, we have already increased accessibility funding by renewing it for another $15 million annually.

I attended two events last week. It was a breakthrough that we put $16,000 through for a low-income society in Downtown Eastside to help those with disabilities, and another $41,000 to the University Women's Club of Vancouver to help them with accessibility.

At the same time, we have the lowest poverty rate for seniors, thanks to our GIS, which has seen the largest increase in over a quarter of a century.

There are other good things that are happening. Can I ask the parliamentary secretary to highlight some of the things we will do for seniors?