By Jim Gerwing

Member of Parliament for Victoria, Denise Savoie, having expressed herself often on issues concerning seniors since being elected, brought Chris Charlton, NDP national advocate for seniors to meetings in Victoria on Friday, January 17, to listen to seniors and to share what the NDP has brought before Parliament.

Besides outlining the seniors charter of NDP priorities for seniors, Charlton answered many questions from the floor. The central theme revolved around income security. Despite appearances, over 93% of seniors live independently in their homes, but over half of them pay more than 50% of their income for shelter alone.

One of the issues that sparked the most comments was the mistake made by government in calculating the rate of inflation between 2001 and 2006. The mistake originated with Statistics Canada, which corrected the error in a footnote. The government chose to ignore the correction and has paid pensioners less than the correct amount ever since. Although correct figures are now being used, the government steadfastly refuses to go back and recalculate. Consider this parallel: if a taxpayer were to miscalculate his taxable income, Revenue Canada would force the taxpayer to pay the difference plus interest plus penalty. Apparently, the government does not hold itself to that same standard.

Worse for seniors living near the edge is that the rate of inflation calculates all price increases. This works to a significant disadvantage for those who spend their income on the basic costs of living like food and shelter whose increases far outstrip the general index. The income/outgo discrepancies mount with each year.

The government will not change its stand of its own accord. People need to protest loudly and often and effectively before anything will come of righting this wrong. Let your Member of Parliament and the leaders of all the parties hear your voice.

Housing! Victoria, like most major cities, is simply not building rental accommodation. Without incentives from senior levels of government, builders will ignore the needs of low-income people. Gutted by previous governments, the CMHC is for all intents and purposes a defunct organization which Harper appears willing to put up for sale to the highest bidder.

Revenue Canada used to have personnel who looked out for low-income citizens and advise them on how to find tax credits for disabilities or to increase their GIS. Those people are either no longer there or have been reassigned. Seniors find it extremely difficult to deal with automated telephone systems. They simply hang up in frustration.

After listening to the efforts made by MP’s like Savoie and Charlton to influence public policy, I marvel at the wisdom of the Canadian electorate in not giving a majority to either of the old parties. Majority governments have demonstrated beyond the shadow of a doubt that they cannot deliver good and honest government for any length of time. What we expect our representatives to do is to work together to get the job done. The measure of their success is what they do for the least powerful among us.