Replay: How does the budget affect you? (Live Chat on CTV)

by michael.stittle3/30/2012 10:02:39 PM March 30 at 6:02 PM
  • Hypothetically speaking if the Conservative Government is not in power in 11 years can the reigning government scrap the proposed changes to OAS?
    by Allan3/30/2012 10:03:19 PM March 30 at 6:03 PM
  • Allan raises a good point too… can the government’s OAS reform ever be reversed?
    by michael.stittle3/30/2012 10:04:06 PM March 30 at 6:04 PM
  • The contents of the budget are not yet law, so nothing has been set in stone yet. And with such a long run rate before the changes are implemented, it a certainly possible for a change to be made.
    by Leigh Vyn3/30/2012 10:05:26 PM March 30 at 6:05 PM
  • The 5 year deferral option will only help those people who are well off enough to do without it or are still working at an income level that results in the OAS being clawed back in any event.
    by Susan Eng – CARP3/30/2012 10:06:15 PM March 30 at 6:06 PM
  • Susan I’m already collecting OAS and Canada Pension. My wife was 54 on Jan 3 of this year. What will be the impact?
    by Ken Lawson edited by andy.johnson 3/30/2012 10:06:17 PM March 30 at 6:06 PM
  • none. the changes will not apply to you
    by Susan Eng – CARP3/30/2012 10:06:50 PM March 30 at 6:06 PM
  • Hi Leigh. I’ve got a question for you that’s been on my mind since I was in the budget lockup yesterday and started going over it. The budget really seems to put the responsibility on Canadians to be in charge of their own fiscal future. Does this new approach put some Canadians, who maybe don’t have a lot of financial know-how, at risk?
    by andy.johnson3/30/2012 10:06:52 PM March 30 at 6:06 PM
  • I like the idea of civil servants pensions being cut they should be the same us in the private sector, they mention MPs but not Senators the waste of our taxes
    by Ken Lawson3/30/2012 10:08:35 PM March 30 at 6:08 PM
  • Good Point There Andy i fall into that fraction of canadians i live on ODSP and dont have much income
    by Tina M3/30/2012 10:08:57 PM March 30 at 6:08 PM
  • Hey everyone, do you see evidence of big downloading onto the provinces in this budget — or at least the potential for that happening?
    by Drake (no, not that Drake)3/30/2012 10:10:30 PM March 30 at 6:10 PM
  • Yes Andy. It does seem to be the case. I think this was a change that was needed for the OAS system to survive, but doing so shifts the responsibilities of Canadians to take more of a role in planning for the future. For some, this will be easy, but certainly for lots, this will be a big challenge. This is particularly true for those that can’t or aren’t able to work longer to help bridge the gap. I think particularly of those collecting GIS — to shift that 2 years up as well is a huge hit.
    by Leigh Vyn3/30/2012 10:10:45 PM March 30 at 6:10 PM
  • Further to what Drake asked, with the OAS reform, where will low-income seniors go for more financial support? Will the provinces pick up the slack?
    by michael.stittle3/30/2012 10:11:47 PM March 30 at 6:11 PM
  • What we really need in this country is a public inquiry into food prices and gasoline prices. We are a producer, we should pay less than the US consumer, I still pay less when I cross the border by a long shot.
    by Ken Lawson edited by andy.johnson 3/30/2012 10:11:49 PM March 30 at 6:11 PM