Why is the Harper government imposing special penalties on needy seniors?
To the Expositor:
By now everyone knows that the Harper regime has pushed the eligibility age for the Old Age Security pension up from 65 to 67 starting in 2023, without consultation with the provinces or debate in Parliament.
Flaherty had argued the changes are needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the pension system, even though virtually every pension expert had said that the change is not necessary.
This means that in today’s dollars, under today’s payment schedule, the average pensioner will be deprived of over $6,700 per year, over $13,500 per couple, and over the two years between ages 65 and 67, a total of loss of over $27,000 per couple.
It should be the objective of the Canadian government to allow seniors to be able to retire with dignity. The Harperites certainly make sure that their own nest is well feathered. Canada is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, at least that’s what Harper and Oliver keep telling us, and they’d never lie to us, would they?
Can anyone explain why the Harper regime is imposing this special penalty on needy seniors, cheating them out of over $27,000 just at the time they’re beginning to feel the effects of reduced income at retirement?
Barry Epstein
Kagawong
