Trudeau pledges billions for poor seniors

Justin Trudeau pledged billions for low-income seniors on Monday while accusing Conservative Leader Stephen Harper of creating a surprise $1.9-billion surplus on the backs of vulnerable Canadians to bolster his election campaign.

The Liberal leader told a Canadian Association of Retired Persons town hall that his party would boost the guaranteed income supplement for single, lower-income seniors by $3 billion over four years, giving them an extra $920 a year.

He said the Liberals would also bring in a seniors price index to ensure old-age security keeps pace with inflation which would cost $530 million over four years. The party can keep these promises because it is not bent on balancing the books immediately, Trudeau said.

Finance department numbers for 2014-15 show Ottawa posted a $1.9billion surplus, bringing the books into the black a year earlier than expected. A shortfall of $2 billion had been forecast.

A Liberal government would stick with its plan to run deficits for the first three years in office, making investments in infrastructure and seniors despite the surplus, Trudeau said.

Trudeau told the mostly partisan audience that the Liberals would begin talks with the provinces on how to improve the Canada Pension Plan system within three months of taking office. He wouldn’t say exactly what changes the Liberals would like to see to the current system.

The Conservatives say they have helped seniors by lowering taxes while accusing the Liberals of wanting to hike taxes and spend money the country doesn’t have. Mulcair courted seniors on Sunday, unveiling a plan to spend $1.8 billion over four years to help the provinces bolster care for seniors if his party forms government.