To the Editor:
There are many reasons to reject Stephen Harper's scheme to cut Old Age pensions. It's mean-spirited. He's picking on the most vulnerable who need that pension the most - 75 per cent of them have incomes below $40,000, and without their pensions, one-third would drop below the poverty line.
Harper's scheme reveals his perverse priorities. He has lots of money for costly fighter-jets and bigger jails, but not much for pensions or healthcare.
His pension cuts are totally unnecessary. Hard-nosed analysis shows that Canada's Old Age pension is fundamentally sound and sustainable, and doesn't need "fixing". This is verified by global economic organizations, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the best university and private sector experts, and even the government's own actuaries.
Reducing this pension doesn't reduce the human needs of lower income seniors. They just get less federal help. And in the end, little public money is saved. The financial responsibility is down-loaded onto provincial welfare programs. But maybe the most compelling reason to reject Harper's scheme is its fundamental dishonesty - it converts a solemn promise into a lie.
On December 9th, 2005, in a speech in Guelph, Stephen Harper said this:
"My government will fully preserve the Old Age Security, the Guaranteed Income Supplement, and the Canada Pension Plan, and all projected future increases to these programs." There were no if's, and's or but's!
He repeated that promise in the election this past May. He repeated it again in his Economic and Fiscal Update in November. Now he's doing the exact opposite. It's a double-cross.
As the Conservatives themselves often say: "There's no greater fraud than a promise not kept". Their slogan fits this situation to a "T." Stephen Harper thinks he can get away with it. Only lower income seniors will be harmed, so he's betting most Canadians won't care.
Ralph Goodale, MP, Wascana, SK.
