Stephen Harper’s Retirement Roulette

 By Malcolm Allen, MP, Welland (Ontario) Riding

As you may know, Stephen Harper recently jetted off to Switzerland to tell the world’s financial elite about his plan to fund billions in corporate giveaways on the backs of those planning for retirement. That’s plain wrong.

Welland Riding MP Malcolm Allen

Some 11 million working Canadians don’t have a workplace pension and as life gets more expensive, most families can’t afford to gamble with their economic security. Almost every day, I hear from another constituent in the Welland Riding who’s deeply worried about what’s coming.

Niagara’s seniors shouldn’t be forced to work an extra two years just to foot the bill for Ottawa insiders and their well connected friends. The Harper Conservatives may have kept this scheme a secret during the last election, but our team of New Democrats has always been clear. We believe the government should be working to ensure that every Canadian senior can retire in dignity— not making things worse by slashing Old Age Security. We want to strengthen pensions for the future, instead of making them more vulnerable to market turmoil.

This issue points to a fundamental difference between the Conservative government and Canada’s New Democrats. Stephen Harper wants to see what’s left after taking a meat cleaver to the services families rely on, while our team begins with affordable first steps to build a better country.

The global economy is headed for rough waters and Canada is not immune. Now is the time for practical solutions to protect our families for years to come. That’s why we’ve put forward a motion in the House of Commons, calling on Parliament to reject cuts to Old Age Security and commit to lifting every senior out of poverty.

Stephen Harper thinks millions of Canadians should be required to roll the dice on their retirement. New Democrats are fighting for a plan that offers every Canadian peace of mind. And our commitment is unwavering.

Malcolm Allen is a resident of Welland, Ontario who is serving his second term as a federal NDP representative for a Welland Riding, including the communities of Welland, Port Colborne, Wainfleet and the southern end of St. Catharines.

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