We were obviously on the same page since CARP issued a news release calling on the government to address Pension Reform in its Throne Speech on March 3, 2010. Fixing the pension crisis needs bold political leadership and cannot wait until Spring. Click here to see this CARP press release.
After Whitehorse, Canada’s Finance Ministers decided only look at the issue again in May 2010.
Besides some technical changes to the Canada Pension Plan made at their May 2009 meeting, and other technical changes announced by the federal government to improve the pension regulatory regime, nothing has been done to address the growing consensus that there is a need for a supplementary pension to help people better save for their retirement.
There is no opportunity for public input into the budget deliberations since Parliamentary Committees are also suspended along with Parliament.
Given that Parliament is prorogued, the Throne Speech will be the first parliamentary opportunity for the federal government to tell Canadians what it is prepared to do to fix Canada’s retirement system. And it would give some credence to the Parliamentary Motion passed unanimously in June 2009 to increase Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supplements and Canada Pension Plan benefits and to give precedence to pension benefits in the event of a bankruptcy.
For the record, this year’s increase [announced in December] to OAS and GIS is exactly zero. And there has been no relief offered to the thousands marching on Parliament Hill demanding action to protect their pensions in a bankruptcy.
Politicians cannot continue to play political games with people’s retirement security. If they do not want to do anything to help, then they should say so and not try to wear people out with interminable delays. All the research is in and the public is fully aware that the status quo is not an option. Waiting until May to hear the same vague statements is not good enough. The government needs to make pension reform a priority and the Throne Speech is the right place to tell Canadians that they will act immediately to protect our retirement security.
Proroguing means that Parliament is no longer on the job and reflecting the voice of Canadians. But it does not mean that Canadians cannot make their views known directly through the media and to the politicians’ inboxes. Shutting down one instrument in a functioning democracy simply means we will re-direct our energies to the other instruments. Sending their courtiers to look down their noses at us doesn’t work anymore. To send your MPs an e-mail, click here.
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