QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Employment and Social Development
Support for Seniors
October 7, 2025
Good afternoon, Madam Secretary. According to Statistics Canada, the prevalence of women aged 75 and over living on a low income was 21%, compared with 14% of men in the same age group. Poverty among seniors has increased, and women continue to be the hardest hit. More senior women than men live below the poverty line. Behind these figures are women who have helped build this country, but whose reality often remains invisible in public policy.
As secretary of state, what are you doing, in practical terms, to incorporate a gender-sensitive approach into the development and implementation of your policies?
Thank you for your question, senator, because it’s an important one.
If you don’t mind, I’ll answer in English.
We know that women tend to live longer than men and that senior women often face poverty at greater rates than men do, particularly single senior women. That is why programs like the Guaranteed Income Supplement are so crucial, and it’s crucial that we protect this vital support that helps those with little or no income beyond their Old Age Security. We know it’s a crucial program, and it provides up to $1,086 per month to the most financially vulnerable.
We are focused on ensuring that Canadian seniors, including senior women, receive every dollar that they’re entitled to. This is a very important social safety net for preventing homelessness and ensuring that vulnerable Canadian seniors, including women, are receiving a retirement that can provide some measure of dignity. Over $18 billion in Guaranteed Income Supplement benefits have gone to 2.5 million low-income seniors.
Thank you for your answer. However, real progress must be measured with specific indicators. What specific targets will you commit to achieving to reduce the poverty rate among older women in the next two years? How can Canadians monitor the progress of these results to ensure that gender gaps are eliminated?
Thank you again.
We use the Gender-based Analysis Plus, or GBA Plus, framework wherever possible for all of our programs, policies and delivery outcomes. We work really closely with Women and Gender Equality Canada, or WAGE, to ensure that senior women and other minority or diverse groups are accounted for and considered in all decision making. This means that for each decision that comes forward, ideally we’re attempting to implement this on a greater basis throughout, and I certainly hold officials to account on my end to ensure that GBA Plus is applied so that we have measures as to how this impacts aggregate groups.
