Sunday 29 January 2012

Harper Conservatives - Cutting off Old-Age Security

The Harper Conservatives are making a move to cut off Old-Age Security.  Their internal communications are framing Old-Age Security as a burden on ordinary Canadians.  I don't see many Canadians complaining that a small portion of their tax money goes into ensuring that low-income seniors have enough money to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies.  There was no mention of this in their campaign during the most recent elections maybe because picking on seniors is not the best vote getting strategy.

The justification for this cut is that in the next 20 years the number of people over the age of 65 will dramatically increase.  With this knowledge it would make more sense (at least from the perspective social responsibility to our nations elderly) to make efforts to boost the funds in the budget by allocating more of our tax dollars too it.  Instead we are have a Prime Minister and cabinet that are coldly advocating the cutting off support of some of our societies more vulnerable members.

The NDP and the other opposition parties have vowed to fight these changes but will a majority government the Conservatives have the votes to ram through the changes.

Maybe the Conservative should change their slogan to Conservative Party of Canada- We think old people are too inconvenient.


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2 comments:

  1. Changing the age for benefits is plain mean. My thing is really about the Conservatives dehumanizing Canadians into economic resources. Treating the country as a business, not a family.

    Found myself reading your blog, over past several years. Enjoy seeing my comments posted, even if sometimes a little over thought. Borrowing your readership for my own (relevant) rant, if allowed.

    I have always been astonished about two aspects of the modern governments. One is all of involvement in peoples’ livelihood with EI, CPP, Old-Age Security, RRSP, taxes based on marital status, and playing around with base interest rates. Charity for the poor and disabled I always understood, but where does all of this “we’ll plan your life, and change the plan when we want” stuff come from? The second is people in public services are so very considerate of their fellow citizens. As they cut back a little of the first, I hope they keep the people who help the public, in the way they do so very well.

    My wife and I have a combined 60 years of service in the fed. govt., good pension, house, kid’s education, and savings. In the past 5 years I’ve had to deal with a very difficult family situation: across four countries, tax systems and courts, social services, government offices at all levels, the police, law firms, several companies, consultants and banks and the private and public health care systems. (titled “When Parents Go Mad”) If even one person in any of these services and also neighbours, relatives, and people at work, had not been considerate, gracious and more than helpful, this responsibility and my anxiety would have been intolerable. All were great. People, that is, not some rule book and electronic system that needed my lawyers to cope with, my wallet to suffer, and worries. I hope my work as an environmental scientist is a “pay it forward”. Even my blood pressure has returned to normal. I wish the interest rates would too.

    Just read your latest on pooled pensions… a must read. Business approach to family responsibilities, again.

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  2. Okay, I finally get what your blog is about. Cons. or anyone else pushing their agenda through, affecting the lives of so many people, but without regard for those people. Maybe a bit wrong, but something like what I said. A good thing. So many contradictions. Canadian debt owned by Canadians, so why the need for corporate tax breaks to help foreign interests? Complicated considerations of USA and European political policies, when we should be able to hold our own values. But what do I know.

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