Translate Politics Parliament in plain language.

Business of Supply

This sitting under Government Orders (Business of Supply) centred on the cost of living and government spending. The Bloc Québécois promoted a bill to raise Old Age Security pensions for seniors aged 65 to 74 and increase the guaranteed income supplement earnings exemption, asking whether the Conservatives would support it; a Conservative member said seniors’ incomes have not kept pace with costs and pointed to his party’s proposal to let working retirees keep part of their wages tax-free. Conservative members said government deficits, debt interest and foreign contracts are driving up living costs and hurting young people, and questioned a $200-million investment in the Canso spaceport by comparing it to Norway’s $45-million stake in a similar project; Liberal members defended the government’s approach, including its stance toward the United States and a $2-billion energy-saving program they said would save families $1 billion a year, and said defence-sector stakeholders consider the spaceport investment essential. Some members also described cost-of-living concerns from surveys and door-knocking in their own ridings.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

1 statement

Luc Thériault

Bloc Québécois
“Retired seniors between 65 and 74 are struggling to pay for basic needs because their pensions have not kept up with rising costs. They need this money to live, not to save it. I want to know if the Conservative member supports our bill to raise pensions for this group.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, earlier, my Conservative colleague spoke about people who cannot afford to retire. That does not even take into account all those aged between 65 and 74 who have already retired and are struggling to make ends meet because of affordability issues. For quite some time now, the Bloc Québécois has been introducing bills calling for OAS to be fully indexed for seniors aged 65 to 74, yet the government continues to refuse to do so. This is not money that would simply be squirrelled away in a savings account. People would use this money to maintain a decent quality of life and cope with the rising cost of living, because their income is not indexed to the current rate of inflation. Could my colleague tell us whether he supports the Bloc’s Bill C‑261?

View on ourcommons.ca Grade A+ View analysis

Discussion

No comments yet

See the full discussion

Comment rules

More from sitting 148

All 46 items ·
  1. Government Orders Business of Supply 105 statements
  2. Government Orders Business of Supply 8 statements
  3. Statements by Members Latin American and Hispanic Day on the Hill 2 statements
  4. Oral Questions Finance 5 statements
  5. Oral Questions The Economy 8 statements
  6. Oral Questions Government Priorities 6 statements
  7. Oral Questions Public Services and Procurement 13 statements
  8. Oral Questions Climate Change 4 statements
  9. Oral Questions Housing 4 statements
  10. Oral Questions Employment 4 statements
  11. Oral Questions Housing 2 statements
  12. Oral Questions Agriculture and Agri-Food 2 statements
  13. Oral Questions Public Safety 4 statements
  14. Oral Questions Democratic Institutions 8 statements
  15. Oral Questions Fisheries and Oceans 6 statements
  16. Oral Questions Health 2 statements
  17. Oral Questions The Economy 6 statements
  18. Oral Questions The Environment 2 statements
  19. Oral Questions Justice 2 statements
  20. Oral Questions Health 2 statements
  21. Oral Questions Fisheries and Oceans 4 statements
  22. Oral Questions The Economy 2 statements
  23. Government Orders Business of the House 2 statements
  24. Government Orders Business of Supply 9 statements
  25. Private Members' Business Sergei Magnitsky International Anti-Corruption and Human Rights Act 15 statements
  26. Government Orders Business of Supply 8 statements
  27. Government Orders Business of Supply 42 statements
  28. Adjournment Proceedings Adjournment Proceedings 4 statements
  29. Adjournment Proceedings Adjournment Proceedings 4 statements
  30. Adjournment Proceedings Adjournment Proceedings 6 statements