Indexation level of OAS and GIS benefits insulting
Réseau FADOQ is outraged that the increase in Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) is less than 1%.
That means that seniors receiving OAS and full GIS benefits will see their annual income increase by only $18.24. What’s more, this aberration was announced on October 1, International Seniors Day.
“On a day that is so meaningful for seniors, the Trudeau government announced that they would be getting only $1.50 more a month. That’s hardly enough to buy a cup of coffee. Yet seniors’ expenses have spiked during the pandemic because of higher grocery prices, the need for delivery services, and the loss of their support networks. The indexation rate does not reflect the added financial burden seniors are having to deal with during the health crisis,” protested Réseau FADOQ president Gisèle Tassé-Goodman.
Since the Trudeau government clearly indicated in the Speech from the Throne that it had no intention of curbing spending, Réseau FADOQ considers that it should immediately increase OAS and GIS benefits.
Politicians make a lot of promises, but it’s their actions that count. Réseau FADOQ will continue pressuring the Canadian government on this issue, because seniors deserve to be treated with dignity. GIS recipients are among the least affluent in our society. With an annual income of barely $18,000, they’re surviving, not thriving.
