Atamanenko 'angered' over Conservatives plan to make changes to the Old Age Security pension
By Nelson Daily Staff
New Democrat MP for Southern Interior of B.C., Alex Atamanenko is “angered” by the recent announcement that the Conservatives are looking at making changes to the Old Age Security pension.
The government claims that the present system is becoming unsustainable because of the aging demographics of Canadians.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s surprise plan included a proposal to raise the age a person can start to collect OAS from 65 to 67.
“The prime minister is floating this idea,” Atamanenko said in a written press release.
“I completely disagree with what he’s doing. This is wrong. Any kind of spending is based on priorities.”
Atamanenko added, “Why would he cut pensions to seniors or raise eligibility when at the same time he is proposing to give another round of corporate tax cuts to people who don’t need it?”
Atamanenko noted that the government’s own experts are baffled by the Harper government’s actions.
“Several pension policy analysts who prepared reports for the government concluded that Canada’s public pension system does not face major financial sustainability challenges,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the Conservatives won’t listen to advice they don’t like, and they aren’t listening to Canadians.”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper chose to break the news about the government’s review of OAS during an address to the delegates at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
He said that the growth in Canada’s aging population “constitute a threat to the social programs and services that Canadians cherish.”
The government says that OAS will cost $108 billion by 2030, up from $36.5 billion today.
But critics suggest Harper is ignoring an important fact—that the economy is expected to grow over the next 20 years.
While Harper has since insisted that no immediate changes are coming and current seniors “will not lose a penny,” public reaction, especially from senior’s groups, has been largely critical of the Conservative announcement.
“People have been calling and writing my riding offices with their concerns about these changes,” said Atamanenko.
“When you’ve made plans for your retirement and have already lost a pile of money from other savings being hit hard, it seems like the prime minister is hitting them again.”
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