O Canada! > Canadian > Canadian Chat > Changes to OAS won146;t take effect before 2020, Flaherty says

Changes to OAS won146;t take effect before 2020, Flaherty says

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Changes to OAS won’t take effect before 2020, Flaherty says

Canadians aged 57 and up can rest easy. They won’t be affected by the Conservative government’s plans to change Old Age Security.

Everyone else may want to have a real close read of this year’s budget.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, 62, says any changes to Old Age Security won’t take effect until at least the year 2020, putting a potential date on the reforms for the first time.

...snip...

The government argues changes are needed because as the number of seniors increases, there will be fewer and fewer working-age Canadians paying taxes to support the higher cost of Canada’s social programs.

In the House of Commons Friday, NDP MP Philip Toone argued younger Canadians should have the same benefits as current seniors.

“Our seniors have worked all their lives to pass on a better country to their children. Now they learn for the first time from the Conservatives that their kids will receive less than them,” he said. “This is unacceptable and must be avoided.”

Liberal finance critic Scott Brison accused the government of “manufacturing a crisis” over OAS, pointing to expert reports that show the program is financially sustainable over the long term.

“It’s nuts,” he said. “It makes no sense from a public policy perspective.”

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Re: Changes to OAS won146;t take effect before 2020, Flaherty sa

reply to lugnut
Idiots. There are enough people under 57 to send them packing and they won't be around in 2020.

Heck they might not even retain official party status if they keep this train wreck of ill thought out announcements rolling.

I'm entitled to my entitlements goddammit!!!!

reply to lugnut
This is likely to become political at any moment and we're certainly having a lively discussion in CanPol. I will just say that while other countries are indeed making changes of various kinds, it's not correct to imply that they're all raising retirement ages. Finland, as we already discussed, is offering more flexibility including both earlier and later retirement for the contributory part, but the non-contributory somewhat analogous to our OAS remains at 65. The contentious issue in CanPol is whether it's really true that raising the retirement age is necessary for cost reasons, as European statistics seem to indicate otherwise.

Another issue that's enough to make your blood boil -- and it's not a partisan political issue because it applies to all parties -- is the gold-plated pension that MP's have voted themselves even as they vote to cut ours -- pensions for which they qualify as early as 55 years of age, and that can amount to $100,000 a year out of our taxpayer dollars, a larger amount than most Canadians earn for busting their asses and paying taxes. Let's see them cut their own damn luxurious pensions first if they're that worried about costs.
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"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity" -- a corollary of Murphy's Law
"A dog is like a child who never grows old ... always there to love and be loved" -- Aaron Katcher

I'll add in a non political way that the OAS claw back of 69k is ridiculous. Any old fart getting over 30k can afford to lose a bit of the OAS.

reply to Wolfie00
I agree that the politicians need to step to the plate first before pissing off the people.Sorta like Greece the way it works here,"we are cutting pensions and minimum wages" to get out of debt.The wild parties etc will continue as usual at the parliament buildings and no our pensions cant be cut because of some obscure law.(same law applies to the public but its convenient to ignore that part)

OAS is not even a drain yet and they start.They dont even have a study,just some "projections".Going by history a government projection has not once been right.

OAS should never of been paid out of cash.It should of been an invested fund like CPP to be sustainable anyway.TO much hokus pokus going on with the confibers to believe any of it.Were damn near a communist country all in less than ayear with the shit comin down the pipe

reply to peterboro

I've been in unions with same sort of shit.Our plant was mostly women floor workers while the guys did shipping recieving.Contract time all the women want is more money per hour while the guys only wanted some benefits like maybe a eyecare or dental.Company would of took our position but the women out voted us always.They all near had husbands with plans already

reply to lugnut
I hope Walmart needs a lot of greeters in 2020...

reply to A Lurker