Posts Tagged ‘pensions’
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Unionization linked to prosperity, studies find
Tuesday, January 28th, 2014
as unions came under attack in the early 1980s, wages began to flatline — and at points even fell. At the same time, we’ve seen rapid increases in temporary and precarious work, limiting the opportunities available to our young people. Without secure employment, youth cannot hope to enter the middle class. Instead, their lives remain on hold at a time when they should be building a future. It’s a cruel reality that this could be the first generation that’s actually worse off than its parents.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, pensions, rights, standard of living
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Co-operation and creativity needed for pensions and job training
Friday, January 24th, 2014
At the heart of the disagreement are different visions of the role of the state and the role of federalism. The federal Conservatives and some provinces such as Alberta hold that citizens should be provided with options but not be forced by the state to behave in a particular way… However, expecting most low- and middle-income Canadians to voluntarily set aside more money for retirement is not realistic… Canadian workers have nearly three-quarters of a trillion dollars of unused RRSP contribution room.
Tags: economy, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, pensions, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
An aging population: our senior moment
Monday, December 30th, 2013
… social and economic shifts have broken the link between age and dependency… In recent decades, as the old-age dependency ratio has risen in advanced countries, the real elderly dependency ratio has declined. It has, however, stabilized and is likely to increase gradually over the next couple of decades… Preparing for and coping with changing demographics requires a more nuanced understanding of what population aging really means.
Tags: disabilities, economy, globalization, Health, pensions, standard of living
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Think outside box on CPP
Saturday, December 21st, 2013
… the financial and political pooh-bahs are wagging their fingers at the population to save more for their so-called “golden years.” These pooh-bahs are the same ones who assured us that signing a string of free-trade agreements would bring a rising tide that would lift all boats… / It is rather unfortunate that the individuals who make all the decisions regarding CPP, pooled pensions, etc., are those who are not relying on these kinds of programs to fund their retirements.
Tags: economy, ideology, pensions, standard of living, tax
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All roads lead to increased pension savings
Saturday, December 21st, 2013
By better preparing Canadians for retirement – be it through an enlarged CPP, a proposed pooling of voluntary savings or some combination of the two – the government cannot avoid one obvious truth. Saving more for tomorrow will mean a leaner economy today… But ultimately, if we don’t want to be eating tins of cat food when we retire, we need to save more today. Full stop.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, participation, pensions, poverty, standard of living, tax
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No to enhancing the CPP [?]
Saturday, December 21st, 2013
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty makes absolutely no sense by saying that people cannot afford to have more money taken off their paycheques, then insisting that we should be saving more / … Jim Flaherty is telling us that the economy is not strong enough to enhance the CPP… It seems even the Conservatives don’t believe their propaganda. / When a sizable portion of the population has either a part-time or temporary job, how can you acquire a good pension?
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, pensions, standard of living
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Flaherty to savers: You’re on your own with CPP as it stands
Tuesday, December 17th, 2013
The CPP is not a welfare program, or an income-redistribution program. It’s not paid for by taxes. It’s a defined-benefit pension plan… It’s actuarially sound, independently run and low-cost. It’s one of the world’s best-run retirement safety nets… The choice is between each of us saving more on our own and all of us saving more, together. Canada’s extremely low savings are testimony to the fact that the former approach, Mr. Flaherty’s preferred route, isn’t working.
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, pensions, poverty, privatization, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Ottawa is wrong to block much-needed CPP reform
Tuesday, December 17th, 2013
This failure of federal leadership and prudent stewardship is leading us nowhere good. Clearly, the CPP needs beefing up, insofar as it leaves millions at risk. Currently it covers earnings only up to about $50,000, providing up to $12,000 in annual pension. That’s little enough today. What will it be worth in 30 years’ time? … The advantages of a broad, enhanced CPP should be obvious… CPP reform is the way to go. And it’s past time we got going.
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, pensions, poverty, standard of living
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Finance ministers make right call on big CPP
Monday, December 16th, 2013
The starting idea, that Canadians are not saving enough and are at risk of ending up in retirement poverty, is a hotly debated theory that divides experts along ideological lines. Does government really know how much Canadians should be saving? Should it impose forced savings to meet specific macro-economic targets? What really stalled CPP expansion… is simple enough. The plans failed because of the underlying weaknesses of the claims and proposals put forward by proponents of radical expansion.
Tags: economy, ideology, pensions, poverty, standard of living
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The time for pension reform is now
Saturday, December 14th, 2013
… if increases in CPP premium rates are phased in over the next three years, they can likely be implemented without a significant impact on economic growth, employees’ paycheques or employers’ payrolls. This could be done simply by raising CPP rates as the government implements the scheduled reductions to the employment insurance (EI) premium rates… While the EI rate reductions are not scheduled until 2016, they could be implemented earlier.
Tags: economy, ideology, pensions, standard of living, tax
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
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