Holder's Happenings - Feb 2012 - Vol II

Holder’s Happenings

www.edholder.ca

It was devastating news on Friday when London found out that Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) will be closing its doors after 82 years of business in London. This decision is tragic for the families involved and our community as a whole. Ultimately, the EMD decision was a result of this private company and their labour representatives being unable to come to a workable agreement.

My colleagues and I did what we could to support continued operations in London and went further by trying to have the federal Labour Minister restart talks through direct discussions with both sides and our Mayor. The provincial Government, in whose jurisdiction this labour dispute fell, also was unable to get both sides to mediate a solution. If there is a lesson to be learned here, it is that nothing gets resolved when nobody is willing to talk. There will be those who will engage in the ‘blame game’, but it is my hope that those energies will be channelled into helping these displaced workers.

Ironically, the very same day as this announcement, Statistics Canada reported that unemployment dropped significantly in our London region in January and we no longer hold the dubious title of the second-highest region of unemployment in Ontario. This news is no consolation to the workers and others impacted by this decision, but is important to know that the London economy is rebuilding. The workers will qualify for Employment Insurance and our Government, along with the provincial Government, will also be providing them with access to skills training and counselling. This is a sad outcome with no winners.

Retirement Benefits – One of the responsibilities of any Government is to make sure that the programs they create and manage are affordable and sustainable. The greatest challenge in managing retirement benefits is dealing with demographic changes that can stress existing programs. (Seniors Guide)

· The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) is a federal pension plan with payments based on a person’s contributions. This plan is fully funded and there are no issues of affordability going forward. Canadians pay into the plan today and ‘withdraw’ their pension upon retirement or disability.

· The Old Age Security (OAS) is provided in addition to CPP and is not funded by contributions, but is funded on an annual basis from tax revenues collected that year. It is a benefit program that is based on income and years of residency in Canada.

· The Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) is additional income paid to low-income Seniors and is also funded annually out of tax revenues collected that year.

OAS is the benefit which has been the topic of recent discussion. Here are some facts:
When OAS was introduced in 1952 the age of eligibility was 70 and the life expectancy at the time was age 66 for men and age 71 for women.
The age of eligibility for OAS changed in 1965 from age 70 to 65 and the age expectancy at that time was 68 for men and 75 for women.
The eligibility age for OAS today is 65 and life expectancy is age 79 for men and age 83 for women.
The cost of the program will triple from $36 billion a year to $108 billion per year.
In 1975, there were seven people contributing for every retired person. Today that has dropped to four people and by 2030, there will be just two working people for every retired person.

Our longer, healthier lives are placing increased stress on the system. Knowing these changes are coming is why our Government has the moral responsibility to plan ahead and consider options. These options will ensure that retirement benefits are there for those who need them in 20 years. We will not be reducing benefits for those who are retired today or those nearing retirement. We are looking farther down the road and considering changes plenty of time ahead so that Canadians can plan their retirements a generation from now. Just as today’s older generations don’t want any surprises, neither do our younger generations. We owe it to them to plan far ahead. There are plenty of people fear-mongering for political benefit, but there are also those willing to enter into a mature discussion that needs to take place.

While many seem to want to grandstand on the issue and score political points, I simply want to acknowledge London NDP MP Irene Mathyssen’s comments in December when she stated, “Issues facing seniors are only going to intensify as more Canadians reach their senior years... Action now is critical - we need a plan in place, we need the structure in place to deal with this dramatic shift in our country's demographics." (News Release, December 5, 2011) I encourage the rest of her colleagues to be as clear with Canadians.