Human Resources committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. The Association québécoise de défense des droits des personnes retraitées et préretraitées, commonly called the AQDR, was established on May 1, 1970. It is incorporated as a not-for-profit organization under part III of Quebec's Companies Act. We

Human Resources committee  The biggest problem has been the confinement and isolation of seniors, who haven't seen their relatives, caregivers and families. That has had a major impact on us in Quebec, at both the CHSLDs, the residential and long-term care centres, and seniors' residences.

Human Resources committee  We discussed that when we met with people from the office of the federal Minister of Seniors, and we asked them why the increase applied solely to seniors 75 and over. They implied that it was because people 65 to 74 years of age were financially better off.

Human Resources committee  That's a false impression, at least for Quebec. I don't know how it is in the rest of Canada, but statistics in Quebec show that 60% of those 65 and over have incomes of less than $30,000. Consequently, it's a misconception to think that 65‑year-olds are better off than 75‑year-o

Human Resources committee  There's one statistic that shouldn't be overlooked: 52% of workers in Quebec don't have an employer pension plan. Some of them may be able to put money into an RRSP or a TFSA to create their own pension plan, but 52% is a lot. Not everyone works for the Quebec or federal governme

Human Resources committee  We don't really see ourselves as opposing the federal government, but we want the funding allocated to Quebec for those expenditures actually to be used to fund the services that are delivered, particularly in home care and home support. When the Liberal government was in power

Human Resources committee  We've seen that many more seniors in English Canada stay at home, whereas more Quebec seniors live in CHSLDs or RPAs, the private seniors' residences. We've been privatizing home care services for some years now by transferring them to private seniors' residences. There have als

Human Resources committee  Of course. We'd really like to know. The only answer we've received is that 65‑year-olds are better off than 75‑year-olds.

Human Resources committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Dong. I couldn't say whether that program's been used. There's usually a call for projects, but we haven't seen any in Quebec during the pandemic. Normally, when the federal government issues a call for projects for seniors, a lot of Quebec agencies subm

Human Resources committee  It would be very helpful if the federal government, regardless of the party in power, could understand that 65‑year-olds are in as much financial difficulty as 75‑year-olds. I don't see why seniors should be divided into two citizen classes.

Human Resources committee  We're just as concerned as you are, Ms. Gazan. We would have liked to hear a valid reason from the minister's representatives. We have a lot of questions. I find it hard to see how you can put people 65 and over in a separate category, especially when, as I mentioned, 60% of them

Human Resources committee  Yes, Ms. Falk, the pandemic was very difficult for Quebec seniors. They suffered enormously from the confinement. There was a social split, if I can use this term even though I know it's not the right one. In other words, they were kept alone and isolated from their families. The

Human Resources committee  According to our survey, seniors are demanding more services in residences. They want more autonomy and they want services that meet their expectations. They want to be listened to. They no longer want to be treated like children. We often receive complaints from people in resid

Human Resources committee  If I may, Mr. Chair, I would like to reiterate Ms. Newman's comments. Seniors living in rural areas often lose their autonomy more quickly because their relatives live in cities that are not anywhere near them. Seniors live alone in their home or in a seniors residence. They have

Human Resources committee  I'm sorry, Mr. Lauzon, but we haven't heard about that. Even if we had, it wouldn't have changed much. So many promises are made in politics that sometimes we wonder what's really happening. I'm not trying to be sarcastic and not aiming at any particular political party; I'm not