The Honorable Patty Hadju, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour was in Timmins today speaking with seniors and highlighting relevant elements of the 2019 Federal Budget.

Speaking at the Chartwell Retirement Residence, Minister Hadju highlighted investments in Budget 2019 that will support Canadian senior’s participation in society, their healthcare and pension. The budget is moving forward on the National Pharmacare plan, which would make prescription drugs more accessible for Canadians.

“We know that this is a really good investment in, not just the health and wellness of Canadians, but also the prosperity of Canada,” Min. Hadju told media, “that when people can actually manage their own conditions, when they can access medication that can help them recover from illness in an affordable way that actually helps ensure that people stay vibrant, they stay, in some cases, working and in the case of seniors, they’re not in that untenable place of having to choose between food and medication.”

Minister Hadju also talked about an increase to the New Horizons Program, something that is relevant to older seniors. This grant program ensures that communities across the country have supports for programming that help seniors stay engaged, active and social. The funding can even go towards physical facilities that support true engagement and inclusion of seniors.

“If you talk to any of those seniors in that room,” she said, “they’ll tell you that one of the main determining factors for them moving into a facility like this is loneliness and isolation. We are living longer. The average age is much longer than it was. And with that comes increasing isolation as you get older. And isolation is not just bad for you from a mental health perspective, it also contributes to declining health for seniors. So this is an important component.”

The budget for the New Horizons program will almost double with $100 million being spent over 5 years and then $20 million ongoing afterwards.

“[This is] so that communities all across the country can ensure that whatever they need to boost up activity for seniors in their communities, they can access through that program.”

The Minister also spoke about making more things automatic for Canadians, like enrollment in CPP.

“We know that many people who are eligible for CPP don’t enroll, weirdly.” she said, “And so we’re going to make automatic enrollment in CPP at the age of 70 so that people aren’t missing out on the benefits to which they’re entitled.”

 

Here are some highlights for new proposals from the Federal government:

  • Make retirement more financially secure for seniors who wish to work by enhancing the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) earnings exemption so they can keep more of their hard-earned income.
  • Ensure Canadian workers receive the full value of their pension by proactively enrolling Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributors who are 70 years old or older and who have not yet applied to receive their retirement pension.
  • Enhance the security of workplace pensions through new measures that better protect pensions in the event of corporate insolvency, giving Canadians greater peace of mind when it comes to their retirement.
  • Promote the inclusion and full participation of vulnerable seniors in society by increasing funding to the New Horizons for Seniors Program, supporting projects that provide new equipment for seniors’ centres, offer financial literacy classes, create volunteer opportunities and more.

 

 

–with files from Employment and Social Development Canada

 

Filed under: Local News