Anna Roberts

Mr. Speaker, Mario from Vaughan reached out to me about his 92-year-old father. After a lifetime of working hard, paying taxes and saving for retirement, his father is now watching every dollar just to make ends meet. His father did everything right. He worked hard to help build this country, and now in his retirement, he feels punished for it. While seniors count every dollar, the Liberal government continues to spend billions on bureaucracies, consultants, foreign aid and corporate welfare. Canadians are out of money while the Liberal government is out of touch. Our Conservative plan is to save Canadians money. We have identified over $150 billion in savings, nearly $10,000 per family, to lower debt, taxes and inflation. Mario and his father did their part. It is time the Liberals did the same by adopting the Conservative economic action plan.

Madam Speaker, my colleague spoke about seniors. I have seniors in my community who disagree with the government's position. A lot of them are living below the poverty line. When we take single seniors and look at the amount of taxes they are paying versus a couple earning the same amount of money, it is higher. If we look at a couple earning $50,000, they are paying $600 in taxes, but if we look at an individual, they are paying $5,800. How is this going to benefit someone who cannot currently live within their current fixed income? Seventy-two per cent of seniors disagree with the government's position.

Madam Speaker, the hon. member for Vaughan—Woodbridge is doing a fantastic job. I want to ask him how he would explain to the 22 seniors clubs in our jurisdiction that 8.3% of food bank clients are seniors and that number is growing. We hear those concerns every single time we attend seniors events. They are struggling with taxes, rent and buying groceries. We know the affordability crisis is real in this country, and yet the Liberals claim they have solved the affordability crisis. How will the member explain to the seniors we represent in our community that the Liberals did not take them into consideration?

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. With only weeks to register for a CRA business number and navigate a complex online portal, these changes are overwhelming and many fear they will be disqualified. Will the Liberals fix these unnecessary barriers or will they have to create another program to help seniors apply for a current one?

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. In my community of King—Vaughan, where 18 senior groups have been supporting over 6,000 senior volunteers, organizations have been frantically calling my office, scared of missing out on critical funding. These changes will leave the most vulnerable organizations behind. Why are the Liberals trying to bury seniors in even more red tape?

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. I had the privilege of growing up with my nonna who taught me the beauty of the Italian cuisine, which is enjoyed in my community in King—Vaughan and across Canada. Her recipes and teachings of tolerance, compassion and love will always be treasured. [Member spoke in Italian] [English] As chair of the Canada-Italy Interparliamentary Group, I am proud to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Republic of Italy. Let us all reflect on the friendships that Canada and Italy share, and let us continue the traditions. May we celebrate and continue to flourish together. Viva Canada! Viva Italia!

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. After a lifetime of hard work, Rosa is on the housing waiting list, but it will be a decade before a unit is available. Will the Liberals explain to Rosa the difference between a recession and a technical recession?

Mr. Speaker, as we recognize Seniors Month in Ontario as well as Seniors' Week in Alberta and in British Columbia, it is important that we not only celebrate seniors but also highlight and confront the challenges too many of them are still facing today. Too many single seniors, often older women, face high living costs while receiving fewer financial supports than couples do. A single senior can pay almost 10 times more in taxes than a couple with the same income, despite facing many of the same household expenses. At a time when affordability remains a serious challenge, many are struggling simply to keep up with housing, grocery and everyday costs. Single seniors should not be penalized by our tax system simply because they live alone.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for bringing this to the forefront because I have been speaking to seniors. They are not retiring at 65 and they are not retiring at 75 because they cannot afford the cost of living that the Liberal government has placed on them. Even though I will be supporting this bill, which I will be speaking to shortly, we need to do better. The people who built this country deserve to retire in dignity and, right now, that is not happening. Does my hon. colleague think that maybe we should even increase the exemption for GIS to $10,000?

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. I would like to thank my Bloc colleague for bringing forward this important piece of legislation and for contributing to the discussions on supporting seniors across the country. Before I begin, I want to acknowledge the seniors who built this country. As many members know, I was fortunate enough to be raised by my grandmother and my great-grandmother. They taught me some of life's most valuable lessons. They taught me the importance of helping neighbours, living within one's means, saving for a rainy day and leaving things better than we found them. Like so many grandparents across the country, they led by example. Seniors built the community that we live in. They raised families, started businesses, volunteered countless hours and contributed to the prosperity we enjoy as Canadians. After a lifetime of hard work, they deserve to retire with dignity and financial security, yet, for too many seniors today, that promise is increasingly out of reach. Canada is in the midst of an affordability crisis that is placing real pressure on fixed incomes. Housing costs have risen sharply. Grocery prices remain elevated and everyday essentials from utilities to transportation continue to strain household budgets. For seniors, there is no flexibility to simply earn more so that they can keep more. When prices rise, their purchasing power falls. This is the reality facing seniors across King—Vaughan and across this country. That is why Bill C-261 is so important. In 2021, the government increased old age security by 10% for seniors over the age of 75. What that decision did was create two classes of seniors. A senior who is 74 years old receives one level of support, while a senior who is 75 receives another. The question many seniors have asked me is simple. Why? Why is one senior considered more deserving than another? Why does affordability suddenly become a problem at age 75 but not at age 74? The reality is that inflation does not care how old someone is. The cost of groceries is the same. The cost of heating a home is the same. The cost of filling a prescription is the same. Many seniors between the ages of 65 and 74 are facing exactly the same challenges as seniors over the age of 75. They are living on fixed incomes and watching the cost of everyday necessities continue to rise. Over the past several years, I have spoken with seniors across the country. I have heard from people who are cutting back on groceries. I have heard from seniors who are delaying medical appointments, postponing home repairs and worried about whether their retirement savings will last. What concerns me the most is that many of the seniors facing the greatest financial pressures are those living alone. A single senior does not pay half the rent because they are one person. They do not pay half the hydro bill or half the property taxes. A single senior often faces higher costs relative to their income because there is only one with whom to share those expenses. Many of these seniors are widows. Many are women who spent decades raising families, caring for loved ones, and contributing to the communities. A 68-year-old widow living alone can face the same affordability challenges as someone who is 76 years old. The bill would also increase the guaranteed income supplement earnings exemption. This is another important measure. Many seniors choose to continue working. Some do so because they enjoy staying active. Others do so because they want to supplement their retirement income due to the affordability crisis the Liberal government has caused. Conservatives believe work should be rewarded, not punished. Seniors who are able to, want to and choose to work should be able to earn and keep more of their money without the clawbacks. At a time when many sectors continue to face labour shortages, experienced seniors bring tremendous value to workplaces through mentorship, training and leadership. We should be encouraging their contributions, not discouraging them. Recent data reinforces just how widespread the impact of the cost of living crisis on these seniors has become due to the Liberals. According to Food Banks Canada's 2025 HungerCount report, seniors now account for 8.3% of all food bank clients, up from 6.8% in 2019. At the same time, food banks are seeing more than 2.2 million visits in a single month, breaking all records. The National Institute on Aging has also warned that financial vulnerability among older adults is increasingly driven by structural factors, such as housing costs, inflation and living alone. In particular, single seniors, especially older women, face a significantly higher risk of economic insecurity due to fixed incomes and the rising cost of essentials. Together, these findings show that affordability pressures are not limited to a narrow age group but are affecting seniors broadly across Canada, regardless of whether they are 65, 75 or 85 years old. I recognize that this bill faces challenges. Like its predecessor, Bill C-319, this bill will likely require a royal recommendation because it involves new public spending. I hope that my Liberal colleagues in government will recognize this session that affordability challenges do not begin at the age of 75. Seniors deserve fairness, and that means ensuring that support is available to all seniors who are struggling with the rising cost of living due to Liberal mismanagement. Conservatives have consistently stood up for seniors. Conservatives believe they should be able to afford groceries, medication and housing. Conservatives believe that if they choose to continue working, they should be rewarded rather than penalized by the government. Conservatives believe that after a lifetime of hard work, they deserve a government that respects their contributions and understands their challenges. As Parliament considers this bill, I hope members remember the senior who often falls through the cracks, the widow living alone, the senior renting on a fixed income, and the older Canadian who has done everything right but is struggling to keep up with the rising costs due to the affordability crisis that the Liberal government has created. Bill C-261 would not solve every challenge facing seniors, but it would help restore fairness to a system that currently treats some seniors differently simply because of their age. For those reasons, I will support Bill C-261, and I encourage all members of this House to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, today marks the beginning of Seniors Month in Ontario, as well as the beginning of Seniors' Week in Alberta and British Columbia. As the Conservative shadow minister for seniors, I want to take this opportunity to recognize the seniors who built this country. They are seniors who worked hard, paid their dues, raised families and helped shape the communities we all rely on today. As we commemorate this month of recognition, rising costs continue to surpass seniors with limited incomes. Many seniors are worried about the cost of housing, groceries and being able to live independently in their own home. Seniors deserve real action that restores affordability and respect for the contributions they have made. I also want to acknowledge the caregivers, volunteers and community organizations across the country that continue to step up. To the seniors from coast to coast to coast, we honour and thank them for all of their contributions to our country.

Mr. Speaker, seniors built this country, yet every Liberal budget dismisses seniors and leaves them further behind. After 11 years of wasteful Liberal spending on luxuries for ministers and higher taxes, seniors are paying more for everything: more taxes, more debt, more on the national credit card and more of the same from the Liberals. The National Institute on Ageing found that one in five Canadians over 50 cannot afford basic needs such as groceries, heating or transportation. How out of touch does the Prime Minister have to be to ignore seniors who are struggling—

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that seniors cannot afford the essentials, such as groceries, rent and utilities. They cannot afford the gas or transit needed to even get to programs. The Liberal grocery rebate gimmick was pennies in a bucket. Food bank usage among seniors continues to rise. Over 8% of food bank users are seniors. Statistics tell us that more single seniors are now living below the poverty line. How much more do seniors have to struggle before the Prime Minister finally delivers real relief for their daily expenses?

Mr. Speaker, the government's Cúram system is causing delays for hundreds of seniors who depend on OAS and GIS to pay their expenses. These services are vital to seniors on fixed incomes. Four cost overruns were reported by the Auditor General in 2025. Similar incidents persist in every software program they attempt to execute. When will the Liberal government accept accountability for another software system that has failed, costing taxpayers $5 billion?

Mr. Speaker, the system meant to help our seniors has become another expensive disaster. The government continues to hire incompetent consultants that massively overrun their budgets, in this case by $5 billion. The president of the public service criticized the government and said, “If the system had been designed by public servants...it would have been easier to maintain and understand, as the experts would have been in-house.” Why does the government not trust our public servants to do a better job than the rich consultants?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government was forewarned in 2023 that its new system, intended to enhance OAS and GIS payments, was already going over budget. This project has ballooned to $6.6 billion. The taxpayer is now responsible for the failure of a system that was supposed to guarantee better access for our seniors. At a time when seniors are struggling to make ends meet, how does the government justify billions of wasteful spending on a broken system?

Mr. Speaker, that is just another excuse from the Liberal government. Seniors are already struggling with the cost of living, and delayed payments are causing seniors to fall behind on rent, skip groceries and worry about how they will pay for their medication. It is unacceptable that this project went from $1.7 billion to $6.6 billion. Who is accountable for this massive cost overrun? Who will be fired, and when will the government take responsibility for another overpriced, failed system?

Mr. Speaker, seniors built this country, and now they must make the tough decisions between buying groceries or medication. They cannot absorb these costs, and they cannot afford to skip meals. Three years ago the finance minister promised to stabilize food prices, which is another broken promise. Canada has the worst food inflation in the G7. The Conservatives have the solution: Cut the industrial carbon tax, cut the fuel standard tax and give the supermarkets genuine competition. Will the Liberals adopt our proposals and demonstrate empathy for our seniors so they can live in dignity?