FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2012
Political Gamechanger: Omnibus Bill shakes loose CARP support and puts NDP in the lead for the first time in four years of CARP Polls™
Toronto, ON: CARP members want the Omnibus Bill split and say that the government’s refusal to do so will cost it the support that CARP members have traditionally given to the Conservatives and for the first time in 4 years of CARP Polls™, gave the NDP a substantial lead [39% to 31%] over the Conservatives, with the Liberals trailing at 25%.
Overnight, more than 2,600 CARP members responded to the CARP Poll™:
- The vast majority (85%) of CARP members reject the bundling of so many issues within Bill C-38, and as many as three quarters express their opinion in the strongest terms (disagree strongly: 74%).
- The vast majority (70%) of CARP members will not vote for the government in the next election [compared to pre-election support for a Conservative majority]
- The NDP support leads the Conservatives (39% to 31%) for the first time in four years of CARP Polls™ [compared with more than 50% support for the Conservatives over the past year and the NDP are usually trailing in third place with less than 20% support]
This is a significant but not unexpected shift in voter support. The Prime Minister’s surprise announcement of the change to OAS at Davos in January began a steady decline in the government’s popularity which recent events have just exacerbated.
“Our Open Letter this week did warn MPs that CARP members would react strongly if such a fundamental part of our social safety net was rushed through Parliament on the strength of the government’s Parliamentary majority alone, without adequate opportunity for full debate. This is proof that thumbing their nose at democratic checks and balances is a political game changer,” said Susan Eng, VP Advocacy, CARP.
In fact, the strength and speed of the rejection of the Omnibus Bill is actually greater than their opposition to the OAS changes themselves for which there was still a core group of supporters (25%) who said they would vote with the government regardless and/or accepted the government’s arguments. This speaks to the strong support that CARP members have for our Parliamentary processes and institutions that matter, if possible, even more than their concern for the social safety net.
On all the major issues of Parliamentary process, CARP members demonstrate their political engagement and strong insistence on respecting democratic checks and balances:
- CARP members strongly oppose bundling issues in an Omnibus Bill and want them split up (85%) and reject time limits on debate (80%).
- Even if the government has a majority, CARP members want them to work with the Opposition (93%) and listen to citizens (95%).
But they also have demands for the Opposition – if elected in 2015, they want the Opposition to reverse the OAS changes. This is worth considering since only 25% expect the current government to be re-elected in 2015.
Debates on Bill C-38 are limited and the vote to refer the Bill to Committee takes place on Monday, May 14th. Various motions and discussions among house leaders may be taking place to break the massive Budget implementation bill into separate components and CARP is asking that the OAS changes be separated to allow for proper debate.
CARP is on the record that:
- The age of eligibility for OAS should not be increased from 65 to 67
- If there is a need to relieve budgetary pressures, there are other options such as the potential savings from health care reform or the reduced military spending once the Afghan mission is complete
- A fundamental change such as raising the OAS eligibility age should be fully debated especially given that the issue was not put before the voters and the implementation date is far enough away to allow for measured deliberations.
According to CARP Polls™ in the past months, CARP members roundly reject raising the OAS eligibility age and see better ways to help younger Canadians– such as increasing job opportunities.
[May 7th open letter attached below]
For further information, please contact:
Michael Nicin 416.607.2479
Director of Policy
Pam Maher 416.607.2475
Communications coordinator
for
Susan Eng
Vice President Advocacy
CARP, A New Vision of Aging forCanada
or visit our website: www.carp.ca
May 7, 2012
Dear Member of Parliament
CARP is calling on you to ensure that the changes to the Old Age Security Act contained in Division 24 of Bill C-38 are fully studied and debated before being passed. One option is to separate the OAS changes from the rest of Bill C-38.
Debates on Bill C-38 are moving quickly and we understand that there may be various motions to separate the OAS changes or to otherwise give effect to this result before next Monday’s vote. We urge you to vote in favour of a full and complete debate on the OAS changes which represent a fundamental shift inCanada’s social safety net at a time when Canadians of all ages are concerned about their financial and retirement prospects.
CARP is on the record that:
- The age of eligibility for OAS should not be increased from 65 to 67
- If there is a need to relieve budgetary pressures, there are other options such as the potential savings from health care reform or the reduced military spending once the Afghan mission is complete
- A fundamental change such as raising the OAS eligibility age should be fully debated especially given that the issue was not put before the voters and the implementation date is far enough away to allow for measured deliberations.
According to CARP Polls™ in the past months, CARP members roundly reject raising the OAS eligibility age and see better ways to help younger Canadians– such as increasing job opportunities.
CARP members know that their own OAS will not be affected and do not see how cutting OAS spending would help future generations. Instead, they are calling for measures that will create job opportunities for them as a better way to secure their future. Rather than selfishly guarding their own interests, as has been suggested, CARP members and other older Canadians are defending an important part of the social safety net and do not want to see it torn up for their children and grandchildren
CARP is a national, non-partisan organization advocating for changes that will improve our quality of life as we age. We have 300,000 members and 53 chapters across the country. We communicate with our members through the pages of ZOOMER magazine which has 9 issues annually and our e-newsletter CARP ActionOnline which reaches 95,000 emails. CARP members are politically engaged and actively supportive of CARP’s advocacy initiatives. We expect that CARP members have already made their views known to you directly and will continue to do so.
Sincerely,
Susan Eng, VP Advocacy
