Liberals Demand Harper Reverse Retirement Age Hike
OTTAWA – A new report by the NDP shows that raising the age of eligibility for Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement from 65-67 will lead more seniors into poverty.
That’s why Pensions Critic Irene Mathyssen tabled a motion yesterday calling on the House to reject the Conservative plan to raise the age of eligibility to 67.
“Up to 95,000 recent retirees would fall into poverty today without OAS and GIS. The poverty rate of these seniors would increase from six to 25 percent,” said Mathyssen.
According to the report, OAS and GIS represent half the income of nearly 30 percent of seniors. The number increases to 38 percent for women.
“Women will be most severely affected by these changes that the Conservatives want to make. They are forgetting that, for some seniors, these programs are their only source of income. The Conservatives are turning their back on seniors to finance their misguided priorities,” said Seniors Critic, Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe.
The NDP will fight to force Conservatives to reverse their decision to cut OAS and GIS. Many experts, including the Parliamentary Budget Officer, confirmed that the program is sustainable in the long-term.
Liberal Seniors and Pensions critic Judy Sgro called on the Harper Conservatives to rescind their decison to raise the age eligibility.
“Today’s ‘Groundhog Day’ motion, which is nearly identical to a motion brought forward on February 2nd by the NDP, serves as a reminder that Stephen Harper misled the Canadian public during the election when he said he would not cut transfers to pensions. Now he’s asking all Canadians under the age of 54 to take two ‘Harper Years’ and sacrifice up to $30,000 in needed assistance to pay for this government’s broken promises. What’s worse, he stood in the House of Commons and voted to maintain his own retirement bonus which he will receive at age 65,” Sgro said
“Canadians have earned their benefits and by pushing the OAS eligibility age from 65 to 67, the Conservatives are hurting our most vulnerable citizens. This government will say the sacrifice they’re forcing seniors to bear is for the long-term prosperity of the entire system, but even the federal government’s own reports have determined that the OAS is sustainable. With these ideological cuts to our seniors, the Conservatives are only increasing the burden on the provinces to support those in need of assistance.”
