Kicking the Retirement for Pensions Plan Can Around

Harper's going to have to face the opposition critics as Parliament resumes today for his disclosed pension cuts and OAS changes.  Here are some of the critics already.

Let me see if I understand this...

Harper will be able to retire at the age of 52 making well over two hundred grand a year that working people will pay for. An MP only has to work for six years before collecting a full pension in which working people pay $23 for every dollar the MP contributes. They will be expected to continue to pay for the pensions of elderly people brought here by their children who have never paid one thin dime into the system. However, those very same working people are going to be expected to work two years longer in order to be able to collect the small poverty level pensions they've worked all of their lives for. Sorry Harper. Not a chance!!!  Toronto Star

Harper and Flaherty love to brag...

...about the stability of Canada's Banking System claiming Canada's Banks didn't recieve bailout money. They conveniently forget that the Chartered Banks recieved $150 Billion Dollars thru the backdoor in years 08/09 by CMHC purchasing Mortgages from them. CMHC's mandate is to insure mortgages with low downpayment from default with a pool of premiums collected from mortgagees. It's mandate was not to actually provide mortgages. This makes the Canadian Government (taxpayer) after the American shakeout the largest holder of subprime mortgages in the world. This slight of hand actually eclipses Paul Martins' theft of $60 Billion in Employment Insurance premiums by taking the premiums illegally into general revenues to balance the budget. It's all smoke and mirrors in fat city! 

Possibly a start at balancing the books....

...of Canada's Old Age Security Plan would be to make immigrants who arrive as seniors and have never worked in Canada ineligible for OAS. As it stands now anyone living in Canada for 10 years receives the benefit. Immigrant seniors come to Canada as part of the family unification class of immigrants, live here for ten years often with substantial seasonal vacations to the homeland then at 10 years receive OAS often then moving permanently back to the homeland. Remember the 50,000 "Canadian's" who sought government/taxpayer assistance in leaving Lebanon when war broke out, only to return as soon as the hostilities subsided?