Minister Seamus O’Regan Jr. celebrates National Seniors Day

October 1, 2023              Gatineau, Quebec              Employment and Social Development Canada

Today, the Minister for Seniors, Seamus O’Regan Jr., issued the following statement:

“We live in an aging country. In my home province of Newfoundland and Labrador, nearly one quarter of people are seniors. That is a good thing, and it is our responsibility as a society to make sure that the seniors who built this country and have given so much to it are aging with dignity. That comes down to choice, to affordability, to inclusion, and to community.  

As Minister for Seniors, these are my priorities. Our Government raised the Old Age Security pension by 10% for seniors 75 and older to help with the added expenses with aging. We raised the Guaranteed Income Supplement by up to $947 annually for single, low-income seniors.  We launched the Age Well at Home initiative in 2021 to help more seniors age safely in their communities, surrounded by their loved ones. Now we’re expanding the Canadian Dental Care Plan so low-income seniors can start receiving that care by the end of 2023. 

This is a glimpse at the changes we’ve made, and our work is far from done.  We need to raise wages for the personal support workers who care for seniors. We need to raise GIS again to keep making life more affordable. We need a Safe Long-term Care Act because what we saw during the pandemic was unspeakable. No Canadian should ever have experienced those horrific conditions, and no one should in the future. 

I’m grateful for the National Seniors Council, the seniors who share their lived experiences, for the support workers and administrators who are honest in their advice. With their help, we will keep working hard to make this country a better place to age in. The best way to honour our seniors is to make sure they are living on their terms, with choice, and with dignity.

Happy National Seniors Day.”