MEDIA RELEASE: Seniors get nothing. Younger Canadians shafted by OAS changes
The Spring 2012 edition of the NPSCF newsletter is
here.
All past newsletters can be found at our Newsletter section above.
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Editorial: Government Targets Future Pensioners For OAS Cuts
In early February your Executive was on Parliament Hill to lobby M.P.’s for improvements on various seniors’ issues. (See www.npscf.org for our full lobbying brief). As usual, we were there to advance the priorities that our membership across the country spoke loud and clear that more action is needed to address various health, housing and pension needs. However, in the 10 days leading up to our arrival in Ottawa, the government announced that OAS changes for the worse were somehow a priority for sake of the fiscal state of the treasury. In 2030, Really?
The government claims that the OAS is unsustainable with the growing numbers of Canadians reaching age 65 over the next 18years. The precise changes have not been announced yet, but the government has been eager to clarify that current pensioners will not be affected, after all: it is our children and grandchildren that will be negatively impacted, they now point out.
Firstly, the government is not being honest about the ability to pay the OAS obligations. Several economists, internal Finance Dept. studies and even the Parliamentary Budget Officer all conclude that the existing OAS obligations are sustainable. Even the governments own figures prove this as the situation will ease in the years 2030 – 2050 as a proportion of the overall economy of the nation.
The feds have found some seductive words to have young workers believe that making matters worse for them is a “fairness” issue . Talk about the Big Lie. The current generation is being squeezed by income inequality and declining retirement security. Quality pension plans are under attack in both the public and private sectors. Only one third of adults can afford RRSP’s. The CPP is not being upgraded, despite a near consensus of Finance Ministers in recent times to make improvements And now the OAS is to undergo negative changes for future retirees. Some “fairness” The government is banking on finding enough in the current workforce dumb enough to believe it.
It does not have to be this way. Spending, taxation and other public policy decisions are always, in the end, political decisions. If sufficient numbers of voters believe the government is doing the right thing the decline of our OAS will proceed as the non-tendered fighter jets are purchased instead. The corporate tax cuts will continue to deny the needed revenue to finance our social programs, and, for the 5th year in a row now, be tacked onto the public debt to have the next generation pay the bills. Some fairness. If I were a betting person, the younger workers of today will not buy this bunk.
Then the only sustainability crisis will be the government’s survival in the next general election.
Barry Thorsteinson, NPSCF President
NPSCF Policy Brief to the Government of Canada
This brief presents the resolutions passed at the 67th NPCSF Convention in Charlottetown October 20-22, 2011. Since we cannot hope to cover all of the many issues currently being faced by our fellow seniors, we will focus on four priority areas: Poverty, Healthcare and Pharmacare, Housing, and Dental Care.
This brief is the centrepiece of our lobbying of our lobbying of federal Parliamentarians on Tuesday February 7th, 2012.
- Please click here for the Brief being submitted to Federal Politicians.
- Veuillez cliquez ici pour le bref étant soumis de politiciens fédéraux.
- CPAC Interview of NPSCF President Barry Thorsteinson [Source: CPAC - Prime Time Politics (www.cpac.ca)]
| Clip 1 | Clip 2 | Clip 3 | Clip 4 | Clip 5 | Clip 6 |
