OTTAWA— Liberal Seniors and Pensions critic Judy Sgro today is hosting an open house with over 20 stakeholders to discuss retirement income security, including the future of the Old Age Security (OAS) program.
“People are understandably worried about their financial security in retirement,” said Ms. Sgro. “This Conservative government has announced it will soon table changes to the OAS, and the Prime Minister and Finance Minister have openly mused about raising the eligibility age from 65 to 67. This open house is an opportunity to inform Canadians that their OAS is fiscally sound and any attack on it is pure Conservative ideology.”
Last week, the Parliamentary Budget Officer tabled a report which stated that the OAS would be healthy and sustainable for future generations. This follows the Government of Canada’s own report that came to the same conclusion.
“Seniors have earned financial security in their retirement and the Liberals will fight any Conservative effort to undermine the OAS,” continued Ms. Sgro. “If Harper gets his way, vulnerable seniors may have to go without up to $30,000 in needed assistance and this is completely unacceptable. Harper’s plan is fiscally unnecessary and morally reprehensible.”
The roundtable discussion, expert panels and speeches on the viability of the OAS program will be live-streamed on Liberal.ca with invitations extended to the 20,000-plus signatories on the Liberal petition to save Canadian retirement benefits.
