QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Employment and Social Development
Support for Seniors
October 7, 2025
Welcome, Secretary of State McLean. Canadians are living through an unprecedented affordability crisis, and seniors, often on fixed incomes, are among the hardest hit. A recent aging and affordability report shows that more than half of Canadians nearing retirement are cutting back on essentials to safeguard their savings while over a third of seniors are now considering part-time work just to afford rising costs.
Secretary, why does your government continue to penalize hard-working retirees and their lifetime savings through reckless spending that fuels inflation and erodes financial dignity?
Thank you, honourable senator. The seniors who built this country should never have to choose between paying for groceries or heating their homes, and that’s why our government has taken action to ensure that seniors in Canada age with dignity. We are cutting red tape, building homes faster and investing in Canada’s seniors. That’s something Canada’s seniors can rely on our government for. When we talk about spending money, we’re spending it well and ensuring that things seniors rely on, such as dental care, are funded. Now, more than 2 million seniors have signed up for and received dental treatment.
We are building an economy for everyone with seniors at heart.
But the fact remains, and it is showing clearly, that the affordability crisis is hitting seniors harder than many others. Secretary, when one in three retirees are supporting their children or grandchildren at the expense of their own pensions and quality of life, your government’s failure is clear. Seniors need meaningful relief now.
What is your government’s comprehensive affordability plan for seniors that addresses the rising costs of living, housing and health care?
Seniors know that they can rely on our government to build an economy that works for everyone. They know that we’re making investments in the things that matter and that help bring down costs for their children, like the National School Food Program, which ensures that children’s bellies are full when they’re at school.
These are the kinds of programs that the Conservatives have time and again voted against. Conservatives also have a record of pushing the retirement age higher, cutting benefits and leaving seniors behind. Seniors know they can count on our government, as they did when they put their trust in us to ensure that retirement age would be maintained at age 65.
While Conservatives are voting against support for seniors, we are empowering older Canadians and protecting not only their dignity but also their peace of mind.
Minister, seniors on fixed incomes are being squeezed harder every year as the costs of housing, heat and other basic necessities continue to rise, especially in Atlantic Canada. Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement have not kept pace with the regional realities. Senior on fixed incomes fall behind every year. What new and recurring support, if any, will you deliver for the Atlantic seniors this fiscal year?
Thank you for the question. As a coastal MP myself and with many seniors on Vancouver Island, I appreciate the nature of the question and where it’s coming from in particular.
Our government continues to build a stronger and more equitable public pension system including Old Age Security, and that’s why we increased the Guaranteed Income Supplement for single seniors and enhanced the earning exemption protecting working, low-income seniors. In July of 2022, the Old Age Security pension was permanently increased by 10% for seniors aged 75 and older, and this provides more than an additional $800 for full pensioners over the first year.
Together with the Guaranteed Income Supplement, Old Age Security does a great deal to provide a dignified retirement to seniors in Canada. Thank you.
Minister, this isn’t just a regional problem. It’s a national one. Across Canada, seniors on fixed incomes are watching the cost of their rent, utilities and groceries climb while Old Age Security has not kept pace. Since 2020, grocery prices have gone up 27% across Canada, and rents are still climbing more than 5.1% year over year nationally as of this July. Whether you live in Saint-Louis de Kent in New Brunswick, Calgary or Vancouver, seniors don’t need a one-time cheque or temporary relief program; they need permanent solutions that keep pace with the real cost of living. Minister, when will you step up with Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement improvements that keep pace with housing and food costs, not another one-time cheque?
I’m grateful for the opportunity to clarify for you that the Old Age Security benefit is indexed quarterly. This means that it’s a benefit that protects seniors’ incomes against inflation. It’s a system that is designed to protect seniors from benefit reductions even during economic downturns, and over the past year, Old Age Security benefits increased by 2.3%, protecting seniors against the impact of cost of living pressures.
So when inflation rises, the benefits automatically increase to protect seniors’ purchasing power. Canadians can expect and trust that this government will focus on income security and protecting the standard of living for seniors.
