Posts Tagged ‘pensions’

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Finance ministers keep options open for CPP reforms

Monday, December 21st, 2015

Ottawa and the provinces agreed that officials will start working right away on various options and the ministers will review that work early in the new year. A more formal meeting would take place in June to review the work again, which would set the stage for potential decisions when the finance ministers hold their annual December meeting… Reforming the CPP requires the support of Ottawa plus seven of the 10 provinces representing two thirds of the Canadian population.

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Seniors need income security

Friday, December 11th, 2015

Some 45-plus years after our group was launched out of a concern for senior citizens, there are still older adults who face poverty or are already living in poverty. Most of them are single and most of them are women… The CPP average amount as of July 2015 for new beneficiaries is $640.23; OAS maximum is $569.95 and GIS maximum for a single individual is $772.83. Total monthly income: $1,983.01. Or if one never paid into CPP… then the amount would be $1,342.78.

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Say goodbye to your $10,000 TFSA, but here’s why it’s not so bad

Wednesday, December 9th, 2015

The TFSA has proven to be popular with low-income Canadians who gain no real benefit from registered retirement savings plans, which are geared toward people with high marginal tax rates in their prime working years wanting to defer tax into the future, when they will have a lower marginal rate… TFSA… balances won’t be growing quite as quickly… [but there are] no plans to count withdrawals when it comes to income testing for programs like Old Age Security or the Guaranteed Income Supplement.

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Tall order for Finance Minister Bill Morneau

Saturday, November 14th, 2015

Balance the budget in 2019-20 while “continuing to reduce the federal debt-to-GDP ratio throughout our mandate.” / Implement a promised middle-class tax cut by raising taxes on those earning more than $200,000. / Cancel “income-splitting” for families while retaining it for seniors / Bring in a new and enhanced Canada Child benefit / Enhance” the Canada Pension Plan / Mount a massive 10-year infrastructure program / pare back the Conservatives’ boutique tax credits…

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The age of unretirement

Tuesday, November 10th, 2015

The notion of “retirement” is an entirely post-Second-World-War phenomenon, the product of rapidly increasing lifespans and the creation of the welfare state. It should be abolished. This doesn’t mean we’re interested in 60-hour workweeks and performance reviews from people 20 years our junior. Hell, no. We need flexibility, autonomy, and plenty of time to [insert passions here]. Fortunately, as the working-age population shrinks, the world is going to need us…

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Finance Minister Bill Morneau could be just what Parliament needs

Saturday, November 7th, 2015

In the past, he has written that the welfare state is big enough already, and that Canadian taxes are as high as they can go… he seems motivated by a sense of duty, coupled with a businessman’s zeal for problem-solving… Today, he has softened his views on stopping the growth of the safety net. As standard-bearer for Liberal economic policy, he enthusiastically touts the party’s pledge to raise the Guaranteed Income Supplement for single, low-income seniors; bolster the Canada Pension Plan; and ease access to employment insurance.

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Canada finally has a minister of social justice

Friday, November 6th, 2015

The new prime minister’s message was clear: Supporting families – lifting them out of poverty, helping them find affordable housing, getting them into the workforce and improving their children’s life chances – is a stand-alone job, one that remains at the top of his agenda… Duclos founded the Poverty and Economic Policy Research Network. He served as a page in the House of Commons under Pierre Trudeau and joined Canada World Youth, an international organization than trains volunteers 15-to-35 to be community workers at home and abroad.

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What the Liberal victory could mean for your pension plan

Sunday, October 25th, 2015

The Liberals have promised to restore the future eligibility age for Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement from 67 to 65… The question remains whether to continue with increased benefits for those who defer collecting OAS to later ages. The Liberals have also promised to raise GIS benefits for single low-income seniors. This move can be expected to lift some of our most vulnerable seniors out of poverty… The most challenging element facing the Liberals involves the Canada Pension Plan…

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Nortel’s painful pension lessons

Wednesday, October 21st, 2015

This spring, a panel of Canadian and American judges made a courageous and ground-breaking decision. They required all creditors to share the remaining assets with the pensioners, an almost unheard-of concession in bankruptcies. Until now many pensioners receive nothing as a result of their employers’ bankruptcy… our appeal is this: Accept the settlement and at the same time join the many voices fighting for pension reform in Canada

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New hope for a Canada pension fix

Friday, October 16th, 2015

Although Wynne had been planning to bring in an Ontario Retirement Pension Plan in 2017, she is prepared to put it on hold if CPP reform is back on the table after Oct. 19… An enhanced CPP ought to be the preferred option. And Wynne has an ally in New Democratic Leader Tom Mulcair as well… The plan locks in contributions over the long haul, providing a safe, reliable retirement income. But the CPP covers earnings of up to only $53,600, and pays out just $12,780 at most.

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