In fifteen years' time, people over 65 will make up a quarter of the Quebec population. This demographic ageing is not a catastrophe if we take today's reality as a starting point, as the majority of seniors are autonomous, socially active, economically independent and contributing members of society. Nearly 90% of them live at home. However, we will have to adapt our structures and services to this new reality, which will lead to increased demand for long-term care and homecare services.

Despite the accelerating pace of population aging, governments are slow to implement concrete measures and adopt policies to defend and protect the rights of seniors. The Coalition for the Dignity of Seniors believes that our society must quickly adapt to this new demographic reality and ensure that seniors age with dignity.

For seniors to age with dignity, they need decent incomes, i.e. above the low-income cut-off, which ranges from $24,083 to $32,682 after tax for a single person. However, a person aged 65 and over who is entitled only to the Old Age Security (OAS) pension and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) has around $18,000, well below this threshold.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted ageism in society's treatment of seniors. They felt particularly infantilized, and suffered more isolation than ever before. This feeling is not new, however, as seniors are rarely part of the equation in public policy, in the cultural milieu or in the planning of our territories.