FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2025
Statement from Matt MacFarlane: New government requirements for Seniors Independence Initiative an unnecessary invasion of privacy
Charlottetown, PE – Over the past month my office has heard from seniors who are deeply frustrated and frankly shocked by this government’s growing micromanagement of the Seniors Independence Initiative program. For years, the process was simple: at your annual assessment, you gave permission for the department to verify your income through the CRA.
Now, without warning or clear policy to back it up, seniors are being told they must submit three months of personal bank statements just to keep receiving a small financial support that helps them stay in their homes.
My constituent Gail and her friend, who have each received this benefit for several years, described this new requirement exactly as it feels: an invasion of privacy. And they’re right. It is unreasonable. We should not be asking seniors to hand over intimate banking records for a modest program (from $48 to a maximum of $150 a month), but one that makes a real difference in their daily lives. Social workers, who are already stretched thin, should not be spending their time combing through seniors’ bank accounts. It is unnecessary, intrusive, and out of step with the fundamental goal of the program.
What troubles me most is the double standard. The province can spend millions without transparency or oversight in other areas, yet when it comes to seniors trying to access a modest, essential program, suddenly the government demands bank statements and scrutinizes every dollar of how a senior spends their limited, fixed income. Disclosing three months of bank statements does nothing to identify the assets that a senior has, and income is already verified by a senior’s CRA Notice of Assessment.
This is not how we treat people who have contributed to our province and our communities their entire lives. I am calling on government to immediately stop these excessive and intrusive demands and restore a simple and respectful income verification process.
Matt MacFarlane
Leader of the Green Party of PEI
-30-
For media inquiries, please contact:
Michelle Patterson
Director of Policy and Research
Office of the Third Party
Tel: (902) 218-0258
Email: mxpatterson@assembly.pe.ca