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lukin2006
Posts: 9,087
Canadian Federal Budget...today
I guess it will be official the retirement age will go from 65 to 67 in order to collect old age security...very sad because this will really only effect low income earners working in labor intensive jobs who really need to retire...imo, even though many of the experts agree the same results can be gained by lowering the threshold from a 100 grand to 60 grand...its ridiculous that someone with retirement income of 100 rand can collect OAS...this program should be for the seniors most in need.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/03/29 ... face-cuts/
I guess it will be official the retirement age will go from 65 to 67 in order to collect old age security...very sad because this will really only effect low income earners working in labor intensive jobs who really need to retire...imo, even though many of the experts agree the same results can be gained by lowering the threshold from a 100 grand to 60 grand...its ridiculous that someone with retirement income of 100 rand can collect OAS...this program should be for the seniors most in need.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/03/29 ... face-cuts/
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
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interesting time in cdn politics ... robocalls, new ndp leader, federal budget, etc ...
sorry but 67 will only effect the lower middle class and working poor...the exact people that will have a tough time working past 65...many have been in labor intensive jobs most of their lives.
Most experts I saw said lower the threshold...
that's the thing we are living longer...but who is living longer...they've never broken it down into specific categories (or any that I've seen). It would not surprise me if the lower middle class and working poor have a lower life expectancy than those better off.
why doesn't the feds lead by example and get rid of those MP pensions.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
MPs' gold-plated pensions untouched by budget, no change before next election
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada ... 57165.html
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
dude ... what would it take to make this gov't fall!? ... i don't want to get into how suck-ass the liberals are now ... but what would make the people that vote for these conservatives change their vote ... i mean they've gone back on basically everything they've said ... there is no doubt they cheated in this election and don't forget that they already admitted to cheating in the previous one ... the negative commercials they are putting on 3 years before any possible election!?? ... and everything else they've done ... if this was any other party - they'd be done for ... yet the conservatives still have a loyal following ... what would it take?
Many things to be concerned about...
health care funding in the future
the cost of the crime bill will put on provinces
retirement age at 67 will force many on to welfare rolls who are unable to work
the increasing of limits for cross border shopping could hurt small business'
but the absolute one thing that Harper is doing that Ontario should absolutely be concerned about is entering free trade with Japan...as of now the Japanese Auto Manufacturers pay 6% tariffs to bring cars in...eliminate that tariff and I see their plants in Ontario closing at some point.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
I am not sure but from some quick searching it looks like the new budget only changes OAS, it doesn't touch the Canada Pension Plan, which you can start taking once you turn 60 I think. so if someone wants to retire at 65 they still can and take their CPP money, they just have to wait 2 years before they get their OAS money.
Great question. I do not not know. Truthfully and maybe I'm crazy but I really started to think that Jack Layton had a real shot in the next election...people really liked Jack...
I have read that it's possible under the NDP's new leader that they could win the next election. He is a former Liberal so I suspect he'll take them more to the center and they'll replace the liberals.
Sometimes I wonder if far to many people take the attitude that "your better off with the devil you know, than the devil you don't know".
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
but if you are at the lower end of the income bracket then your CPP is not very good to begin with so that OAS is much needed.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Mulcair....this is concerning to me...the NDP should not be the new Liberal party...they should not be moving more to the centre. The whole political landscape continues to slide to the right.
from cjpme.org :
Jury still out concerning Mulcair’s social-democrat credentials
Montreal, March 20, 2012 — As revealed in two recent analyses, Thomas Mulcair’s bid for the
NDP leadership has attracted support from various corporate figures typically hostile to NDP
policies. In two analyses, one by Canadian Peace Alliance co-chair Derrick O’Keefe, and the other
by Independent Jewish Voices, it was revealed that prominent corporate leaders had donated
generously to Mulcair’s leadership campaign. Among those figures are billionaire Gerald Schwartz
(CEO, Onex Corporation), Anthony Munk (Barrick Gold Corporation, Onex Corporation), Seth
Mersky (Onex), David Mansell (Onex), Andrew Sheiner (Onex), John Sherrington (VP, Scotia
Capital), Richard Venn (Executive VP, CIBC World Markets), and Daniel Daviau (Canaccord
Financial Inc.) Schwartz and other Onex executives are known to have close ties to the
Conservative Party.
Although leadership bid donations from the well-heeled are not unheard of even in the NDP, it is
unusual that such a large cluster of senior figures from Canada’s corporate elite are backing
Mulcair. Such a phalanx of corporate supporters elicits questions as to Mulcair’s willingness to
ardently defend social democratic principles and values. Mulcair’s credentials as a social democrat
were already suspect, following revelations that he had considered joining the Federal
Conservatives at the same time that he was negotiating his move to the Federal NDP. Former party
leader Ed Broadbent recently questioned the direction Mulcair will lead the party, including his
ability to build a cohesive team. Broadbent pointed out that 90 percent of the caucus colleagues
who worked with Mulcair in the 2008-11 period are supporting other candidates in the current
leadership race.
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) urges NDP members to scrutinize the
positions of the leadership candidates, not only on the Middle East, but in other areas as well. “On a
number of issues, the NDP has frequently brought positive pressure on past governments because of
its foundation of principles. It would be tragic indeed if the new leader – whether Mulcair or
someone else – chose to depart from those core values,” says CJPME President Thomas Woodley.
CJPME points out how ironic it would be if the NDP were to be led by a person who seems to have
won the loyalty of Canada’s wealthiest 1 percent, just as, for the first time in history, a groundswell
of popular support has put the NDP into the Official Opposition.
CJPME notes that the NDP has plenty of political room to defend its long-standing policies on the
Middle East. Polling done in Canada by the BBC, for example, revealed that the percentage of
Canadians who believe that Canada should support Palestine’s admission to the UN is about twice
as high as the percentage who would oppose such a move. CJPME believes that the NDP, and
Canada’s other parties, must insist that all countries—including Israel—respect international law.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
mulclair ran provincially liberal because in quebec there is no ndp party ... the progressive party would be the PQ but they are a separatist party ...
i definitely do not think the party needs to move to the centre ... the reason why they are at 102 seats or whatever it is is because they are not a centrist party ... quebecers voted for the ndp because of jack and the party's progressive stance on issues ...
155 seats is not that far off ... i think if the ndp can demonstrate that they can lead ... the progressive vote will go to the ndp ... just think about how many people didn't vote for the ndp (even tho they wanted to) because of the stigma that they had no chance of ever winning ... well, they have 3 years to show they can win and that they can govern ... if they show that - they don't need to capitulate to anyone ...
ultimately, our first priority has to be honest gov't ... we haven't had that for a loooong time now ...
At the same time…I have to agree that the old ABC (anyone but cons) theory still stands.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/03/29 ... on-budget/
Excellent...discusses some of the points I've already brought and answers those points.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
i agree with many of your points that this will affect those blue collar workers ... and what the cuss does it mean that the mp pension plan won't take into affect until the next parliament!? ...
honestly, what i would love to know is if we didn't make those huge cuts, mainly gst, would we be in defecit now and what would the implications have been to the economy? ... all i know is we were running routine $10 billion surpluses while paying down our national debt under the right wing liberals ... now, we have an even further right wing party cutting all kinds of taxes and we are running defecits ... i know the economy took a downturn but that was what our surplus was for ... but we killed that surplus before we got to the financial crisis and now it's pooched ...
I think if the GST was left alone we'd be fine or at least in much better shape. Really don't see much difference whether it's 5% or 7%, so why not just leave it at 7%...and your right they squandered away a huge surplus.
When he was reform party MP he was griping about MP pensions...now that he can do something about it he does nothing...but has no problem messing with others pensions...what a tool.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
those fuckers are all two-faced ... senate reform and accountability being the two most egregious acts ... but as long as they spend their time talking shit about people ... their supporters are content ...
I don't understand their supporters or supporters of any political party...if your party is not doing whats right then why still support it, that just baffles me.
And as far as I'm concerned he did not campaign on raising the age of OAS...so issues like this either should be put to too a referendum or on hold to the next election...I really feel for folks that will be needing to rely on OAS and GIS just have try and have a dignified retirement.
I wrote my local MP Mr. Comartin, NDP expressing my concern and seeing if the NDP would lower it if in power. I wonder if this is the type of issue that could get them over the top...I hope...I really don't like the liberals...I was starting to like the NDP under Jack and I really like our local NDP MP.
Just for the record raising the retirement age to 67 does not effect when I retire but it does effect family members...many who are in labor intensive jobs...just ridiculous.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
You guys familiar with Democracy Watch? http://www.dwatch.ca
I think their honesty in politics campaign is something worth getting behind....
The site has some great information regarding accountability in Canadian politics; it's critical of ALL parties.
The NDP are no better than the Cons when broken down in an accountability report-card.....of course, the Cons having a majority makes their poor score more damaging.
Party.............Overall Grade.......Dishonesty Downgrade
Green Party.............B-........................C-
Bloc Québécois..........C-........................D-
Cons......................F..........................I
Liberal Party.............F..........................I
NDP.......................F..........................I
* Dishonesty Downgrade applied because past performance of all parties shows that they usually break half their promises, and the lack of an honesty-in-politics law means they can't be held accountable.
Here's the Cons 2011 report card:
http://dwatch.ca/camp/RelsDec1211.html
(if you go to the article, each item has a clickable link to more information on how it was graded)
I. Honest, Ethical Government Measures E
1. Requiring honesty-in-politics F
2. Strengthening ethics standards . . . and ethics enforcement E
3. Making the political donations system democratic D-
4. Closing down the revolving door D-
II. Open Government Measures E-
5. Strengthening access-to-information system E-
6. Exposing behind-closed-door communications E-
7. Strengthening lobbying disclosure and ethics, and the enforcement system E-
III. Efficient Government Measures B
8. Strengthening spending rules, and powers of Auditor General/other enforcement bodies B
IV. Representative, Citizen-Driven Government Measures E
9. Increasing meaningful public consultation E-
10. Restricting power of Cabinet to make appointments E-
11. Making the Senate democratic or abolish it D
12. Ensuring free, fair and representative elections D
V. General Government Accountability Measures E
13. Facilitating citizen watchdog groups over government I
14. Ensuring effective whistleblower protection D
15. Ensuring loophole free laws and strong penalties for wrongdoers C
Curious how the federal NDP and Green party can even get a grade? Neither have ever formed government.
1. if your party can form the next government will you lower the age back to 65?
2. will your party raise the issue in the house of commons as to "why the government feels it's all right to make changes to others pensions but refuses to address the issue of your gold plated pensions"?
no response on either question...
2 pretty simple questions...and would not answer them.
Voting is a complete waste of time...all political parties are scams...only interested in serving themselves and their lobbyist.
It seems to me that maybe the last really good politician was Tommy Douglas...since then I'm not so sure we've had any worthy to mention...sad, very sad.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/04/08 ... er-mackay/
Surprise, Surprise!!!
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-o ... nt=2395726
but we'll spend 25 billion on jets and potentially 15 billion on a crime bill. The waste this governments going to commit will likely dwarf anything the previous liberals did.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
the thing is ... it's not "waste" ... it follows the same pattern as what Harris did ... he is paying off his supporters ... the people that got him elected ...
Every political party pays off its supporters when elected. The difference this time is Harpers supporters are from business and the west.
McGuinty when elected has spent the last 8 years sweetening the pot of the teachers and other public sector unions.
I suspect if a green party formed government they would funnel grants and tax breaks toward environmental causes.
This is exactly why I don't vote...they all want to form government and tell us they want to represent all Canadians, but when elected they only really represent their supporters.
I know I'll never see a day when a party represents all voters...whether they voted for them or not.
The politics of this country is broken and has been for decades.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon