Anna Roberts
King—Vaughan, Ontario · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, the secretary of state claims that registering for a CRA business number and using the online portal is simple, but senior organizations are telling a different story.”
“Mr. Speaker, community organizations are warning that the rush changes to the New Horizons for Seniors program are putting hundreds of projects at risk. Many volunteers are seniors who already struggle with technology.”
“Mr. Speaker, Italian culture is a rich tapestry of history, art, cuisine, family tradition and the values of respect for each other. Family is extremely important in the Italian culture. My grandfather arrived in Canada in 1950, where he had the opportunity to work and provide a home for his family.”
“Madam Speaker, this Liberal government keeps telling us how good we have it. I am here to say that 2.2 million people have been using the food bank, and 8.3% of those clients are seniors, up from 6.9%. Can the member please address this House as to why the Liberals do not care about seniors anymore?”
“Mr. Speaker, under the Liberal Prime Minister , Canada is the only G20 country to fall into a recession. I spoke with Rosa from Vaughan, a single senior who cannot afford a place of her own and rents a room in her 86-year-old cousin's home due to the affordability crisis under the Liberal government.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the residents of King—Vaughan. Today, I am pleased to speak to Bill C-261 , an act to amend the Old Age Security Act.”
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“It is not a vision. Conservatives pledged during the campaign that seniors who choose to work would be able to earn up to $34,000 tax-free, which is $10,000 more than the current threshold. RRSP flexibility was proposed to allow seniors to keep their savings in RRSPs until the age of 73 instead of the current mandatory withdrawal at age 71. This would give seniors more time to grow their retirement savings. For protection of retirement benefits, we also committed to keeping the retirement age at 65 and protecting benefits like old age security, the guaranteed income supplement and the Canada pension plan. The Liberal government has stolen many of our policies but has watered them down. Why not take this one, implement it word for word and assist our seniors?”
“Now, every night, they park behind a grocery store, hoping not to be noticed. They take turns sleeping in the back seat. They wash in public restrooms. They eat cold meals from a can. This is not the Canada they worked for. This is not the retirement they expected, and yet Bill C-4 offers them nothing. Seniors in the GTA are very upset. They are now looking at leaving their home and trying either to live with their children or find an encampment because they cannot afford to stay in their home. Anyone who has volunteered with seniors knows that when a senior is moved out of the environment they are accustomed to, they do not survive. This is the sad reality of the Liberal mismanagement of taxpayer money that has caused the inflationary situation we all face in Canada. The bill is a patchwork of half measures. It is not a plan.”
“Can we imagine having to choose between heating a home and buying food? Perhaps the most heartbreaking issue is loneliness and social isolation. Many seniors spend their days in solitude. Studies have shown that approximately 41% of Canadians aged 50 and older are at risk of social isolation. Up to 58% have experienced loneliness. This is not just a statistic. Rather, it is a silent epidemic that has severe mental and physical impacts. Let me talk about a senior couple in my riding, Philip and Angela. They are a retired couple in my riding. For months, they have been living in their car, not because they want to, not because they made poor choices, but because the rent on their modest apartment went up $700 a month. (1420) They sold their furniture, gave away their books and packed their lives into the trunk of a 2008 Toyota Camry.”
“In Canada, seniors face a variety of challenges that are often overlooked. Access to health care and long-term care remain significant issues, worsened by the growing shortage of family doctors and specialists. As a result, many seniors are left without regular medical support, leading to preventable health complications. This often forces them to seek care in emergency rooms, placing additional strain on already overburdened hospitals and tying up critical resources. Chronic diseases, such as arthritis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and respiratory illnesses, disproportionately affect seniors and severely impact their quality of life. Meanwhile, the rising costs of essentials, such as groceries and electricity, are particularly harsh for those living on a fixed income.”
“The industrial carbon tax, which inflates prices across the board and burdens all consumers, hits seniors particularly hard, as their fixed incomes are unable to keep pace. This oversight reveals a flawed approach of prioritizing certain demographics while ignoring the vulnerable elders who face relentless financial strain without adequate support. Seniors face tough challenges today. Many live on fixed pensions that do not stretch far enough to cover rising costs for such things as medicine, rent or groceries. People with disabilities and seniors who cannot afford to feed themselves are increasingly turning to food banks. I have volunteered at seniors' homes for over a decade, and when I speak to seniors in my community, I hear day in and day out that they do not understand why their taxes and utility bills continue to go up.”
“It offers tax cuts and housing rebates, but nowhere in its pages, not once, does it mention the word “seniors”, not in the context of housing, not in the context of health care, not in the context of pensions and not even in the context of affordability. Their voices, contributions and needs deserve recognition and action. Seniors are the fastest-growing demographic in this country. By 2030, nearly one in four Canadians will be over the age of 65. They are our parents, our grandparents and our neighbours. They built this country, and now too many of them are being left behind. Bill C-4 's attempt at affordability falls short. The Liberals blatantly neglect seniors on fixed incomes who are struggling with soaring costs for essentials like medication, housing and care.”
“Madam Speaker, I would like to begin by sincerely thanking residents, my family and the dedicated team in King—Vaughan for once again placing their trust in me to represent them in this House. I rise today not just to speak to Bill C-4 but to speak for those who are not mentioned in it, for those who are too often left out of our national conversation. I rise for our seniors. As shadow minister for seniors, I must highlight how this legislation fails to address the unique challenges seniors face and why this omission fails to support those who built the foundation of our nation. Bill C-4 , the making life more affordable for Canadians act, is a missed opportunity.”
“Madam Speaker, the Liberals promised 500,000 new home starts a year, but according to a TD report, the target is completely unrealistic. Even under the most generous projections, the Liberals' plan falls dramatically short of what is needed, and now construction is falling, not rising. Let us be honest. A GST cut on homes under $1 million does nothing if there are no homes being built. When will the Liberal government stop spinning its talking points and provide a real plan for Canadians, or maybe it just does not have one?”
“Madam Speaker, according to the Liberals' own housing agency, 60% of Canadians are struggling to pay down debt, and one in four are using one credit card just to pay off another. The cost of living is up 45%, job losses are up 34%, and interest rates are climbing 29%. The dream of home ownership is slipping further out of reach. Canadians are stuck living in their parents' basement. What is the Liberal government's plan to restore the hope Canadians once had? When will it table a budget so people can plan for the future?”
“Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on his successful campaign. We just celebrated, in Vaughan yesterday, a large Italian festival. One thing I am sure my colleague will agree with is that our parents and grandparents taught us to live by a budget and to understand that we cannot make a dollar and spend $1,000, yet the government refuses to present this House with a budget. How can we proceed without knowing what the end result will be?”