"This country was built on the backs of giants". This is one of my favourite quotes. It comes from a friend of mine who used it when he spoke of his parents and grandparents. These "giants" that built Canada into the great country it is are our seniors.

PHOTO CREDIT - GuyLauzon.ca

Cornwall - Oct. 4, 2011 - "This country was built on the backs of giants". This is one of my favourite quotes. It comes from a friend of mine who used it when he spoke of his parents and grandparents.

These "giants" that built Canada into the great country it is are our seniors. Our seniors toiled day after day, year after year, went to war, suffered through depressions, recessions, unemployment and all kinds of obstacles and challenges to build our great nation.

When I hear stories of the hardships some of our seniors have endured I truly am in awe. Seniors deserve the respect and admiration of each and every Canadian for the contributions they have made and continue to make as mentors and leaders. They have raised families, built communities and created a standard of living in our country that is the envy of the world. It is virtually impossible to appropriately recognize or thank these brave generous men and women for their unselfish contribution.

Our government is making an attempt to acknowledge the many current and past contributions of Canadian seniors with the naming of October 1st as National Seniors Day. This day will allow Canadians an opportunity to pay tribute to the many contributions seniors have made to their families, communities, workplaces and society. October 1st was chosen as National Seniors Day to coincide with the United Nations' International Day of Older Persons.

Our government values our seniors. We have put in place a number of tangible, practical programs to help them in their golden years. We have introduced a new Guaranteed Income Supplement top-up benefit for 680,000 seniors. We have added $10 million over two years to the New Horizons for Seniors Program, bringing the total to $45 million. We have also budgeted $50 million to extend the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers until 2013-2014. It is worth noting that in 2011 we will be providing $72 billion through Canada's public pension system. We are still a ways from giving seniors everything they deserve but we are heading in the right direction. Happy belated Senior's Day to all.

Guy Lauzon
Member of Parliament
Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry