Toronto August 7, 2008: CARP is calling on Liberal MP Robert Thibault (West Nova, Nova Scotia) to retract his suggestion that his 60 year old opponent, former Nova Scotia Finance Minister Greg Kerr, was too old for the job.

Mr. Thibault is quoted as saying: “If they wanted to take me out, I would think you’d get someone who’s looking forward to building a political career, not somebody who’s at the age where he’s considering retirement”.

“Ageism seems to be the final frontier of acceptable discrimination – imagine if Mr. Thibault had said: ‘He’s too Black for the job’,” said Susan Eng, Vice President, Advocacy of CARP.

“Mr. Thibault is also short-sighted. Does he not know that 60+ Canadians vote in greater proportions than all other age groups, and in Nova Scotia, the differences are even greater,” added Eng. “CARP would recommend that he immediately retract his remarks and apologize for offending and marginalizing a large part of his voting base.”

To read Mr. Thibault’s comments Click here

CARP is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization committed to advocating for a New Vision of Aging for Canadians which means social change that will bring financial security, equitable access to health care and freedom from discrimination; ensuring that the marketplace serves the needs and expectations of our generation and providing value-added benefits, products and services to members; and building a sense of community and shared values among our members in support of CARP’s mission.

For further information, please contact:

Michelle Taylor, Communications Coordinator CARP 416.363.8748 x.236

Susan Eng, VP of Advocacy CARP 416.363.8748 x.226