Celebrating Seniors on National Seniors Day


October 1st   is National Seniors Day. The Government of Canada established National Seniors Day, coinciding with the United Nations’ International Day of Older Persons, as an opportunity for Canadians to pay tribute to the contributions that seniors make to their families, communities, workplaces and society.

I would like to also take this occasion to ask seniors in Newmarket and Aurora to consider taking the time to share with our younger generations, your treasured memories, family history and other invaluable information you carry with you every day in your memories. History unspoken is history lost.

We can research so much at the library and on the internet, but what we cannot so easily research is the history that is closest to us on a personal level.  Do your children know about your mother’s achievements and challenges in life?  Do your grandchildren know what it was like in the town you came from?  Is there medical history that may be helpful to your children later on?  Many seniors have been privileged in their lifetimes to witness monumental changes in world history and if we are to learn from history, it must be passed along.

Canada’s seniors helped build our great country.  They’ve spent their lives supporting our families and our communities.  Our Conservative Government is proud to support them and indeed, we have worked to stand up for Canada’s older adults throughout our time in office.

National Seniors Day is just one of a number of initiatives that the Government of Canada has undertaken for seniors in recent years. In the most recent federal budget last June, the Government introduced the following:

• $50 million over two years to extend the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers program until 2013-2014,
• A new Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) top-up benefit to help Canada's  most vulnerable seniors,
• $10 million over two years to increase funding for the New Horizons for  Seniors Program, bringing the program's total 2011-2012 budget to $45  million.

The Government of Canada has brought about a number of initiatives in support of seniors:

• Supporting positive and active aging through the collaborative Age Friendly Communities Initiative,
• Providing $2.3 billion annually in additional tax relief to seniors and pensioners through measures such as pension income splitting and increasing the Age Credit,
• Providing $400 million over two years under Budget 2009 for the  construction of housing units for low-income seniors,
  
  Appointing a Minister of State (Seniors)-someone who can bring the concerns of older Canadians to the Cabinet table and stand up on their behalf,
• Creating the National Seniors Council in 2007 to provide advice to the federal government on matters related to the well-being and quality of life of seniors; and
• Investing $13 million over three years in support of the Federal Elder Abuse Initiative (FEAI), which successfully concluded on March 31, 2011. Building on the momentum created through the FEAI, which featured an awareness campaign, the Government of Canada remains active in addressing elder abuse through the New Horizons for Seniors Program.

For tips and resources to celebrate the Seniors in your life, or for more information on National Seniors Day and the Government’s programs and services for seniors, please visit www.seniors.gc.ca.