Proposed pension changes called 'attack on seniors'
Many seniors will be pushed into poverty, advocate says
CBC News
Posted: Jan 28, 2012 3:16 PM NT
Last Updated: Jan 28, 2012 2:59 PM NT
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A leader of a Newfoundland and Labrador retired workers group isn't mincing words over suggestions this week that the federal government may make major changes to publicly funded pensions.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in Switzerland Thursday that Canada's retirement income system will be undergoing "necessary" changes in the months to come.
"We have already taken steps to limit the growth of our health-care spending," Harper said. "We must do the same for our retirement income system."
The federal government notes that the cost of Old Age Security (OAS) will almost triple in the next 20 years, with the number of Canadians over 65 expected to climb to 9.3 million by 2030.
Ralph Morris of the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Sector Pensioners Association said possible changes — such as raising to 67 from 65 the age at which Canadians could qualify for OAS — would push many seniors into poverty.
"I think that it is an attack on the seniors of this country again by a prime minister and a government," Morris told CBC News. "We've seen much of it before. This is an even greater attack."
Click the video above to see Morris explain his case to Here & Now's Jonathan Crowe.
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