CARP to PM Carney: Don’t Pit Seniors against Soliders

Posted on by Anthony Quinn

CARP Draws a Line in the Sand: No Cuts to Old Age Security

June 9, 2025

As Canada’s new government accelerates its defence spending to historic levels, pledging more than $9 billion this year to meet NATO’s 2% target, CARP is watching closely to ensure that these investments do not come at the cost of seniors’ financial security. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s ambitious military build-up may be necessary to meet global challenges, but CARP will not stand by if this new era of defence is used to justify clawbacks or cuts to programs like Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS).

Let us be clear: CARP will fight any attempt to roll back OAS, delay eligibility, or continue to split seniors into age-based cohorts. The OAS is not a luxury. It is a foundational pillar of retirement income in Canada. For millions of older Canadians, especially women and those without workplace pensions, OAS is what keeps food in the fridge and the heater running in winter.

A New Era of Spending — But At What Cost?

Today’s federal announcement outlines a sweeping transformation of Canada’s military posture: drones over the Arctic, artificial intelligence in cyberspace, and expanded recruitment and equipment budgets. Meanwhile, influential voices like the Globe and Mail Editorial Board are calling attention to Canada’s “fiscal discipline gap” and hinting that aging-related spending is unsustainable. Their May 30 editorial, “The High Cost of Failing to Pay for Peace,” implied that cuts to OAS is a solution to funding new military expenses.

In other words: seniors’ benefits are now officially in the crosshairs.

Cloaked in Patriotism: Cuts Framed as National Duty?

There is a growing narrative that Canadians must make “sacrifices” for the greater good. We’ve heard versions of this before:

  • That delaying OAS to age 67 is “fiscally responsible”
  • That indexing OAS to inflation is “too generous”
  • That seniors should feel patriotic about doing more with less

CARP rejects this framing outright.

Older Canadians have already served their country: raising families, building the economy, volunteering in their communities, and paying taxes for decades. Asking them to sacrifice again in retirement is not patriotism. It is neglect.

OAS is Not the Problem — It’s the Promise

The government’s own Parliamentary Budget Officer has repeatedly affirmed that Canada’s public pensions are sustainable over the long term. OAS represents less than 3% of GDP. By contrast, we are now pledging to spend 2% of GDP on military investments each year going forward.

Let’s cut through the fog of fiscal rhetoric: without a new budget, it’s hard to know the current fiscal state of Canada, but we can project $468 billion in program spending, with total expenditures ballooning to $515 billion when we include debt repayment. Old Age Security (OAS), the bedrock of dignity for Canada’s seniors, demands $86 billion to meet the needs of an aging nation. Yet, today, Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a $9.3 billion defence spending surge for 2025–26, with projections of $13–15 billion annually to hit NATO’s 2% GDP target, catapulting military spending to $62.7 billion. Security is non-negotiable, but to even whisper that we must trade seniors’ livelihoods for submarines is a moral and political betrayal. Canadians—seniors chief among them—demand a government bold enough to fund both, not one that peddles false choices to dodge accountability.

CARP’s Position: No Cuts. No Delay. No Divide.

CARP has long advocated for an increase in Old Age Security payments for all seniors starting at age 65. We opposed the 2021 decision to create a two-tier system by giving a 10% OAS increase only to those over age 75.

We now call on the government to:

  1. Publicly commit to maintaining and strengthening OAS and GIS without delay or clawbacks.
  2. Reject age-based discrimination in benefit increases.
  3. Fully index OAS and GIS to seniors’ real cost of living.
  4. Rule out asset tests or change income caps that penalize responsible savers.

CARP Members Are Watching — And Voting

Our members are older, wiser, and politically engaged. There are more than 7 million Canadians over 65 today, and that number is rising every year. They vote in higher numbers than any other group. They write to their MPs. They organize in their communities. They don’t forget promises.

The Prime Minister may be preparing Canada for an uncertain world abroad, but CARP is preparing for the political fight at home. Our line in the sand is clear:

We will not allow seniors to be pitted against soldiers. We can and must support both.

If the government chooses to cloak cuts to OAS in the language of patriotism, CARP will call it what it is: an abdication of the social contract. CARP will fight to ensure no senior is asked to sacrifice their security to address fiscal mismanagement. Budgets are not a ‘zero sum’ game.

What You Can Do

  • Join CARP. Support our work at www.carp.ca
  • Share this message. Let your family and friends know what’s at stake.

For media inquiries, contact: Anthony Quinn, COO, CARP media@carp.ca | www.carp.ca