Raising age of eligibility for OAS will have serious consequences on seniors

New NDP report shows that more seniors will fall into poverty

OTTAWA – A new report by the NDP shows that raising the age of eligibility for Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement from 65-67 will lead more seniors into poverty.

That’s why Pensions Critic Irene Mathyssen tabled a motion yesterday calling on the House to reject the Conservative plan to raise the age of eligibility to 67.

“Up to 95,000 recent retirees would fall into poverty today without OAS and GIS. The poverty rate of these seniors would increase from six to 25 percent,” said Mathyssen.

According to the report, OAS and GIS represent half the income of nearly 30 percent of seniors. The number increases to 38 percent for women.

“Women will be most severely affected by these changes that the Conservatives want to make. They are forgetting that, for some seniors, these programs are their only source of income. The Conservatives are turning their back on seniors to finance their misguided priorities,” said Seniors Critic, Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe.

The NDP will fight to force Conservatives to reverse their decision to cut OAS and GIS. Many experts, including the Parliamentary Budget Officer, confirmed that the program is sustainable in the long-term.