Welcome Message from the Ministers who oversee the National Seniors Council

In March 2007, the Government of Canada created the National Seniors Council (NSC) to provide advice to the federal government on matters related to the well being and quality of life of Canada's seniors, including new opportunities and issues arising from a rapidly growing and increasingly diverse seniors' population.

Since that time, the NSC has been working hard, meeting with seniors and seniors' organizations across Canada to learn more about the needs of our aging population. The NSC has a very unique and important role, listening to seniors and seniors' groups, and bringing their advice and concerns to the federal government on matters including: volunteering among seniors, positive and active aging, low income among seniors, and elder abuse.

We would like to thank the members of the NSC for giving their time and their energy in support of Canada's seniors. Their work is helping the Government of Canada to better understand the needs of seniors who willingly dedicate time and energy to their communities, their workplaces and their country. It is also helping to improve our understanding of the barriers and opportunities seniors face in staying active, remaining engaged and continuing to contribute positively to society.

Under Canada's Economic Action Plan and through other recent measures, the federal government is supporting seniors by:

• Providing approximately $1.9 billion annually in tax relief to seniors and pensioners.
• Increasing the Age Credit by $1,000 for 2009 and beyond to allow eligible seniors to receive up to an additional $150 in annual tax savings.
• Providing $400 million over two years through the Affordable Housing Initiative for the construction of housing units for low-income seniors.
• Increasing funding by $10 million over two years for the New Horizons for Seniors Program for projects that support volunteering among seniors and raising awareness of financial abuse of seniors (proposed in Budget 2010).
• Helping older workers and their families through these tough economic times by investing an additional $60 million over three years in the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers, and by expanding the number of eligible communities to include older workers in small cities.
• Establishing an independent Task Force to make recommendations on a cohesive national strategy on financial literacy for Canadians.
• Reaffirming a commitment to ensure that Canada’s retirement income system remains strong and efficient through Spring consultations and a review of policy options at the 2010 May Finance Ministers meeting.
• Supporting legislation to establish a Seniors Day, in recognition of the contributions Canada’s seniors make to society (announced in the Speech from the Throne, March 2010).

View or download the NSC's reports, which summarize the Council's findings from its many successful cross-Canada roundtables.

Please visit www.seniors.gc.ca for more information related to Canada's seniors and their needs.

We look forward to continuing our work with the NSC in support of Canada's seniors' population.

Sincerely,

Diane Ablonczy
Minister of State (Seniors)

Diane Finley
Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development

Leona Aglukkaq
Minister of Health