Canada election 2015: Seniors targeted by party recruitment

Senior citizens, many of them retired professionals, are supporting election campaigns by offering policy advice, door-to-door canvassing, event planning and even the willingness to scrub the floors of the campaign offices.

Canadians between 55 and 75 years old make up the largest voting block in the country, so securing those votes is now a priority for all the major parties, and they've recruited seniors themselves to help get out those votes.

In the Ottawa area, many of the volunteers giving up their time are former public servants, and some say they've never been involved in political movements before.

That includes Gylliane Gervais, who worked for Statistics Canada for more than three decades. With a policy background, the ability to speak three languages and an eagerness to cold call potential voters, Gervais sits front and centre at the Ottawa-Vanier NDP headquarters in Lowertown.

"This time around the issues are so, so important, I decided to get involved full time," said Gervais.

'Concerned about civil servants'

Gervais is well versed in the issues, especially those affecting fellow pensioners.

"One is the government's decision to raise the age of the old-age pension from 65 to 67. I think that's an absolutely horrible decision," said Gervais, who is quick to point out that the NDP will reverse that decision.

Gervais is also concerned about her former colleagues working in the federal government.

"I'm concerned about civil servants. I was a civil servant for over 30 years. There have been so many attacks against the civil service that I think it's important to try to get things right."

Seniors worried about children, grandchildren

Doug Daniels, an economist who recently retired from a federal agency, is currently helping with event planning at the Liberal campaign in the riding of Ottawa-Centre.

"Clearly we have a big challenge in terms of modifying our health system to deal with the growing number of older people and the growing incidents of Alzheimer's disease. These are serious issues and I don't think we've got a handle on that yet," said Daniels.

He said the Liberal's plan to focus on infrastructure, including senior's housing is part of what is needed, but Daniels and many other retirees aren't just thinking about themselves – they worry about their children and grandchildren and the future of the country.

"For the first time ever, the new generation coming up are poorer than their parents, and that's a very disturbing situation," said Daniels.

Cleaning floors and making coffee

Jan Hatcher-Roberts, another retired public servant volunteering for the Liberals, said she's never been political but now she's helping the campaign by doing just about any task thrown at her.

"I clean the floors, I make the coffee, but I have also done briefing notes for some of the forums," said Hatcher-Roberts. "I feel like I'm being worthwhile. I feel like I'm doing something that's going to make a difference."

Deborah Eaton Kent wants to make a difference too, but for a different party. This retired financial analyst from Toronto used to support the Liberals, but not anymore.

During this campaign Eaton Kent has travelled to Ottawa for six weeks to work on NDP campaigns in the capital.

She said she's concerned about young people trying to cope with huge student debt loads and incredible housing prices and while she's a retiree herself, she worries about the older generation.

"My mother is almost 90 and I am so disappointed in the health care system for all these amazing seniors who have worked and built this country and now have to wait so long to have a hip replaced or whatever," said Eaton Kent.  

Conservatives courting the senior vote

The Conservative party has long garnered support from an older generation of Canadians, and recent party initiatives and promises have focused on seniors — including a new "Single Senior Tax Credit".

Shirley Francoeur, a Conservative party supporter and volunteer, is well into her 80s and helps out at the Ottawa-West Nepean campaign office almost every day.

"I'm retired and have been for years, and everything keeps getting more expensive. But now I'll get some credits," said Francoeur.  

Maureen MacAuley, from the riding of Carleton, said she's been volunteering for years for the Conservatives because the party and its policies speak to her.

"My husband retired last year, I have been home for the most part with my children. So pension splitting was important. I look back and think, all those years I wasn't working I'd have loved to have the ability to split my salary tax-wise," said MacAuley.

"You make sacrifices [but] it shouldn't be a financial sacrifice. And I feel the Conservatives are trying to even that out," said MacAuley.