On Monday, Canada’s finance ministers delayed action on our galloping toward bankruptcy inadequate and underfunded public pension system. You can read about that here. Want some background? Toronto Star columnist Heather Mallick has a fine article that’s required reading. An excerpt:
[Finance Minister Jim] Flaherty seems to regard the CPP as communism. It isn’t. It’s brilliant in a sensible Canadian sort of way. Hard-right governments — American, British and Canadian — are always droning out about “financial literacy.” CAW economist Jim Stanford, who is a director of the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education, points out that this drive, while helpful, also places a greater burden of blame on consumers whose investments tanked recently. It wasn’t the stock market being run like a casino, it was the fault of the dopey investor. Don’t expect the government to help, Flaherty is saying. You’re on your own.
You can, should and must read the whole thing here.
Unfortunately, Saskatchewan is one of the provinces that resisted action on an expanded Canada Pension Plan. Unlike Alberta, however, which is just being an effing dick, Saskatchewan has agreed to discuss improvements to the CPP. If you support a CPP that works, you should contact your MLA to let them know where you stand on the Canada Pension Plan. Opposition MLAs will be happy to bring your concerns forward while government MLAs, obviously, can advocate for their constituents in caucus. Contact information for all Saskatchewan MLAs is here.
