Dear Ms. Guergis:
I cannot believe the offhanded way your government addressed the concerns of seniors relating to the dismal stock market performance and your governments position relating to RRIFs. Surely this Seniors’ concern ranks a much higher position in priorities than simply being addressed?
Perhaps your party’s memory banks have lapsed regarding the demographics of the Senior’s ranks and their capacity to influence the outcome of future elections.
One way to help secure your position is to ensure their concerns are addressed and give them some hope that the nest eggs they have struggled for are not crushed by inflexible government policies.
I am very concerned about the content of the upcoming Budget and request that you push/lobby/beg for the following four items be included in the January 27, 2009 Federal Budget.
1) A two year moratorium on RRIF mandatory withdrawals until the system is restructured.
2) A Pension Summit: with a retiree represantitive at the table to enact Pension reform: bankruptcy protection, insolvency safeguards and streamlining of The Pension Act.
3) A Universal Pension Plan.
4) A National Agency to protect savings and pensions from future crisis and white-collar crime.
More than I will be closely monitoring the content of this budget.
While a Coalition government is the least desirable route the country could follow, our Prime Minister has shown he lacks the sensitivity to hold the country together by his remarks regarding Quebec.
In my opinion and that of many of my friends, voting for a Conservative government headed by Stephen Harper has become distasteful. Who in the party is capable of being leader?
I have tried hard, given the party membership, to choose a new leader and fear non are capable.
Yours truly,
Walter P. Lucas
Creemore, ON
