Elections: What are we offering seniors?

The electoral campaign launched on August 15 by Justin Trudeau is for a minimum of 36 days as provided for by law. This constraint is not only a difficulty for organizations like Elections Canada, which need to find workers very quickly, but also for seniors like Lucile Nadeau-Brunet. The ninety-year-old recently moved to a new neighborhood, which requires her to register on the electoral list in a very short time if she wants to be able to vote on September 20. However, Elections Canada only allows you to register in advance on the list of electors via the Internet, a service to which Ms. Nadeau-Brunet does not have access.

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Since she is not in a position to register in advance on the Internet, she has also not received documentation that tells her which polling station she should go to. To vote, she must therefore find out for herself which polling station is and register the same day as the vote. Same-day registration comes with its share of challenges and stress for a person of their age, as they must make sure to bring all the necessary documentation for this process.

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She, who will soon be 100 years old, does not hide her dismay at the difficulty of completing all these steps by herself. “You hardly see anyone [due to the pandemic]. If a friend of mine had told me 'Come on, I will go with you [register yourself on the electoral list] ', I would have done it, but now it's not possible.”

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Access to government services

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The Liberal Party has a clear promise when it comes to the accessibility of services for seniors. Justin Trudeau's team is committed to creating a toll-free number to “help seniors access government support.” This line will serve as a “single point of access to a wide range of government services and benefits.”

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For its part, the New Democratic Party (NDP) wants to help seniors access technology by increasing “funding for community programs,” without specifically mentioning its desire to simplify access to government services. The Bloc Québécois “proposes an investment of 15 million to extend financial assistance services [...] in particular to seniors, through community services.”

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This promise includes free assistance in preparing tax returns, finding benefits and budget support. As for the Green and Conservative platforms, it does not mention this issue.

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Financial precariousness

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“The subject that speaks to our members the most is the financial precariousness of seniors,” says unequivocally the president of the FADOQ network, Gisèle Tassé-Goodman.

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The woman who runs the largest seniors' organization in Canada, with more than half a million members, cites the increase in rents and the cost of grocery shopping to support her statement. “Seniors are struggling to make up for the end of the month,” she says. On the FADOQ website, Ms. Tassé-Goodman explains that there are hundreds of testimonies that evoke the economic difficulties that seniors encounter.

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“They feel that the government has not listened to their needs,” she laments. She is also particularly outraged by the creation of “two classes of seniors”, which resulted from the announcement in Justin Trudeau's most recent government budget to increase old age pensions by 10% for those aged 75 and over. Seniors aged 65 to 75, who also receive the old-age pension, are excluded from this improvement.

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Economic security

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As mentioned above, the Liberals want to “continue to implement [their] plan to increase Old Age Security (OAS) benefits by 10% next year for seniors aged 75 and over.” In addition, they promise to “increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) by $500 for seniors living alone and by $750 for couples, beginning at the age of 65.”

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The Conservatives want to encourage seniors to stay in the workforce by “doubling the Canadian benefit for workers up to $2,800 for individuals and $5,000 for families.” This measure will therefore offer “a wage increase of $1/hour to low-income seniors for those who decide to work part-time.”

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The Bloc Québécois denounces the exclusive increase in OAS for those aged 75 and over, which “represents only half of the beneficiaries.” He calls for “a substantial increase of $110 per month in the Old Age Security pension for all seniors aged 65 and over.” The NDP wants to ensure that no seniors have their GIS benefits suspended due to an administrative problem. That is why they want, within one year, to prevent this practice against those who are unable to file their tax returns on time.

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The Green Party offers several proposals to reduce the financial burden on seniors, such as guaranteed living income and drug insurance, but does not give specific figures on what these reliefs represent.

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Stay at home longer

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Housing is a workhorse for Lucile Nadeau-Brunet who, despite approaching the age of 100, still lives at home. She wants politicians to allow seniors to “remain in control of their homes” and thus offer more seniors the opportunity to age in place.

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For Ms. Nadeau-Brunet, the seniors' homes, announced by the Legault government in the wake of the CHSLD tragedy in Quebec, do not represent a real change in the way society manages old age. “There must be homes that allow seniors to feel at home and to get involved in society in their own way,” she explains. His vision of old age is not one where seniors are excluded from societal choices, but one where they are involved in decisions that concern them.

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Renovate to stay

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The proposals of the Conservatives and the Liberals in terms of home support assistance are quite similar. Both parties want to increase the home accessibility tax credit, a measure that makes it possible to adapt a home to the needs of an elderly person with reduced mobility. The Liberals want to double this tax credit to $20,000 while the Conservatives want to increase its limit from $10,000 per home to $10,000 per person.

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Erin O'Toole's party also wants to create the Canada Seniors Care Benefit, which would pay $200 per month to any household that lives with and takes care of a parent over the age of 70. Echoing one of the requests made by FADOQ, the NDP, if elected, will make the caregiver tax credit refundable. The Green Party, without giving figures, wants to provide provinces and territories with a special transfer of care for seniors, dedicated to specific improvements in home care.”

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The Bloc Québécois, although it does not propose specific housing measures for seniors, asks “that 1% of the federal government budget be allocated for the construction of social and community housing.”

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Listening to seniors

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Gisèle Tassé-Goodman has no idea about the challenges to be met in the coming months, regardless of the government that is elected. “For us, commitments to seniors must be fulfilled and the government must listen to seniors,” she hopes. The pandemic has damaged the living conditions of the population she defends and she believes that the well-being of seniors in Canada depends on a combination of several factors, such as financial security and an effective health system.

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She is pleased that six of the seven priorities established by her organization have made their way into federal party platforms. And if one of her requests could be fulfilled, which would she choose?

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“All our requests are priority,” concludes the president vigorously.All political parties were contacted and asked about their programs concerning seniors for the writing of this article.

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The Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, the NDP, and the Green Party had not answered our questions at the time of writing. Only the Bloc Québécois answered us.