Editor:
Re: OAS perfectly sustainable, Feb. 21 letters.
Liberal finance critic Scott Brison is right that our Conservative government was given a strong mandate to help seniors improve their quality of life, but he’s wrong to suggest Old Age Security is sustainable on its present course.
The fact is, in the 1970s there were seven workers paying taxes to fund OAS for each retiree. Currently, just four workers fund each retiree, and within 20 years there will be just two workers per retiree.
On its current path, Old Age Security is unsustainable.
Our government will make the changes necessary to ensure the sustainability of OAS for the next generation, while maintaining benefits for current recipients and those close to retirement.
Brison’s former Liberal government slashed transfers for health care, dramatically impacting many seniors. Ours is a government that understands the importance of a secure retirement for people who have spent their lives building Canada through their hard work.
That’s why, since 2006, we have taken action to ensure retirement income is there when Canadians need it, including introducing pension income splitting; increasing the age credit; and eliminating the need for 380,000 lower-income seniors to pay federal income tax.
And, every year, we’ve increased funding for health care substantially.
While we have taken these actions for today’s seniors, we need to ensure future generations can count on benefits when they need them most.
MP Russ Hiebert, South Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale
