As Canada’s federal election campaign intensifies, party leaders have focused much of their attention on economic uncertainty and strained relations with the United States. But with seniors making up a dependable bloc of voters, all three major parties are tailoring their platforms to address the needs of older Canadians—many of whom are grappling with rising living costs, healthcare concerns, and fears about outliving their savings.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has promised to maintain the retirement age at 65 and allow seniors to keep their savings in a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) until age 73, up from the current threshold of 71. He has also pledged to allow working seniors to earn up to $34,000 annually without paying federal income tax—measures the party says are designed to help seniors weather the volatility of today’s economy and preserve their retirement funds.
The Conservative platform includes broader tax reforms as well, including a proposed 2.25 percentage point income tax cut and an expanded Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) limit of $12,000 for Canadians who choose to invest that money in domestic companies. While the party hasn’t provided a cost breakdown for these promises, it has positioned them as part of a larger strategy to counter economic instability, including the impacts of U.S. President Donald Trump’s ongoing trade war.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney has focused on more short-term relief, promising temporary support for seniors hit by turbulent markets. The Liberal plan would reduce the minimum withdrawal amount from Registered Retirement Income Funds (RRIFs) by 25 per cent for one year and boost the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) by five per cent, offering up to $652 in additional tax-free income for low-income seniors. Carney has also committed to a one-point cut to the middle-class tax rate, arguing that this would benefit more than 22 million Canadians—especially those in low- and middle-income brackets.
Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has taken a broader approach, pledging to eliminate poverty among seniors by expanding the GIS, though without offering specific details on how that would be achieved. Singh has also unveiled proposals to expand universal pharmacare and connect all Canadians with a family doctor by 2030—policies he says will particularly benefit older citizens, many of whom struggle to access consistent care. Standing with seniors who shared stories of losing their primary care physicians, Singh framed the promise as a necessary step to prevent emergency rooms from becoming the default healthcare option for older adults.
Reactions from advocacy groups have been mixed. Rudy Buttignol, president of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP), said he’s been most encouraged by the Conservative platform so far, particularly the tax exemption for working seniors. “It’s a good move because many seniors have no option but to keep working,” he said. However, Buttignol believes the RRSP change doesn’t go far enough and wants to see an end to mandatory withdrawals altogether. “It should be in the hands of seniors to decide when they need to access their savings,” he said.
Buttignol criticized the Liberal plan as too thin and short-lived, calling the GIS boost of approximately $1.74 per day “disappointing.” As for the NDP, he expressed concern over the lack of detail in their promise to eliminate senior poverty. “Right now, as it stands, the Conservatives seem to have the more detailed platform in the right direction,” he added, while cautioning that seniors remain deeply concerned about potential future cuts to Old Age Security.
Cathy Hecimovich, chair of the Canadian Senior Living Association, welcomed the general recognition of seniors’ needs across the platforms, but stressed that lasting change requires more than one-time relief. “We are pleased to see proposals from major parties that would bring a small measure of relief,” she said. “But we need a continuing program designed to provide seniors with stable, predictable support.” Hecimovich also called for a refundable tax credit to help with home support services, and urged federal policymakers to create housing incentives for seniors looking to downsize—measures that could also help ease Canada’s housing crunch by freeing up larger homes.
With more than a quarter of Canada’s population expected to be over 65 within the next two decades, the question of how to support older adults is unlikely to fade from the national stage—no matter which party forms the next government.