Human Resources committee  The main impact is what I call "economic isolation". There's a short chapter on this in the document I submitted. People on an income of $21,000 or $22,000 per year, if invited to join people at a restaurant, a theatre or a show, will say that they're busy. They don't have the financial capacity to pay for entertainment.

Human Resources committee  I understand what you're saying. However, I find that there are genuine inequalities that I don't understand. In our system, some retirees live on social assistance, meaning the GIS. Others receive small pensions through the registered retirement savings plan or the Canada pension plan.

Human Resources committee  No.

Human Resources committee  It really does. I'm worried about a lot of things. What elected representatives have been providing for retirees is simply not up to the mark. Nor is the economic mindfulness of our governments. In 1966, the Canada pension plan and the Quebec pension plan were established. To administer the Canada pension plan, old age security was increased, but it could not be increased by much.

Human Resources committee  Okay, I'll do that. In the event of bankruptcy, Canada protects debtors whose income is below $36,000 per year. Debtors' assets cannot be seized if their income is below that. However, the Government of Canada supports retirees whose income is below $21,000. That leads to enormous gaps.

Human Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon everyone. My name is Pierre-Claude Poulin and I'm responsible for the Income and Taxation Committee of the Association québécoise de la défense des droits des personnes retraitées et préretraitées. Our association is apolitical. It has 30,000 retiree members, the majority of whom are without an employer pension.