Lest We Forget - A Pittance of Time

Web Talk hasn't been very active of late.  To be more precise I, as the host, have been on a break from the sometimes all consuming effort it takes to tilt at our province's many windmills.

That said, I'd be remiss if I didn't take a moment to honour our deserving veterans.

If you'd like to take a few moments as well please click the link below.  It will take just a couple of minutes from your day but I believe it's well worth the time: to remember.

Pittance of Time (please click)

If you are also disgusted with the treatment of our poorer veterans who, if they make more than 12K or so a year, are denied funding for a decent funeral, let you MP know how you feel.  A link to MP contact info is available on the left hand side of this site, or you can contact Veteran's Affairs at:

information@vac-acc.gc.ca


Lest we Forget...

Newfoundland & Labrador Remembers Lanier Phillips

This week marks the sad passing of a great Newfoundlander and Labradorian, Mr. Lanier Phillips, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88.


Lanier Phillips’ may have arrived on this planet via rural Georgia but by all accounts his mental and spiritual beginnings, with all of the pain and suffering that often accompanies child birth, happened nearly two decades later on the rocky shores of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Near the small towns of St. Lawrence and Lawn the Lanier Phillips known to his family and friends for the first18 years of his life ceased to exist and the man he would later become was ushered into life.

On an icy night in February of 1942 two American destroyers, the Truxtun and Pollox, broke apart in the North Atlantic on the coastline of Newfoundland and Labrador. 203 young men died. 186 survived, including Lanier Phillips, thanks to the selfless efforts of local residents who risked their lives to scale the jagged, windswept and icy cliffs to bring them to safety.

Badly injured, frostbitten and unconscious, Phillips, like so many others, was taken into a local home and given the best care the residents could provide.

Mr. Phillips often recalled how he awoke to hear one of his caregivers tell another lady in attendance how worried she was. She said she had scrubbed and scrubbed but couldn’t get the black crude oil out of his skin.

Perhaps the moment that made the most lasting impression on Mr. Phillips came after he told the woman his colour wasn’t a result of the ship’s oil but of nature itself. She had never seen an African American.

The shocking thing, for Lanier Phillips, was that her reaction was one of immediate relief for his well being rather than one of repulsion or disgust as he might have expected. He was amazed that this realization he was not white changed nothing for his rescuers. For weeks the local people continued to care for him, as well as the other survivors, like they were family.

As a recent Washington Post story put it:

“The woman cradled Lanier W. Phillips's head in her arm as if he were a baby, gently feeding the shipwrecked sailor hot soup she had brewed to help save his life.

"Swallow," she said gently. "Swallow."

“Phillips could scarcely believe what was happening: a white woman caring for a black man as if he were her son. Back home in Georgia, he thought, she could have been run out of town, and he could easily have been lynched.”

Although the difficult task faced by the people of St. Lawrence and Lawn in rescuing and caring for the victims of that shipwreck is a story worth telling, it is the profound impact on Lanier Phillips himself, brought about by a simple act of kindness, which is so inspiring.

As an African American, from a poor Southern family, and raised in the early part of the 20th century Mr. Phillips witnessed first hand the raw, brutal and disgusting reality of the openly racist practices so common at the time.

It was an era when lynching, cross burning and whipping were commonplace. It was a time when schools and churches attended by African Americans were burned on a regular basis. When walking through a door in a public building could get you beaten or even killed simply for being born the “wrong” colour.

Until his rescue that night this was the reality Lanier Phillips recognized as his lot in life. He never doubted that his life would be one of bowing and scraping in gratitude on those rare occasions when good fortune might come his way. He clearly must have believed, and with good reason, that his life would be a hard and unforgiving one. A life in which success would be measured, not by his accomplishments, but by how long he could survive.

Just as surely as a newborn is nursed and cared for as it gains strength, thanks to the caring actions of his rescuers, Lanier Phillips was welcomed into a new world. A world he had not previously known existed. A world where everything suddenly seemed possible and where he would no longer be willing to settle for less than his abilities, personality and intellect demanded. A world where he knew he was just as valuable as anyone else, regardless of his skin colour.

In the decades that followed Mr. Phillips would often refer to that experience as the catalyst for changing his entire life. At public gatherings, schools and events across North America he spoke eloquently of the people who cared for him and who never looked upon him differently simply because his skin was not the same as their own.

Lanier Phillips would later become the U.S. Navy’s first African American sonar technician at a time when being a man of colour meant he was seen as inferior and best suited to supporting “regular” Navy personnel as a steward or cook rather than along side them as an equal. While Caucasians in the Navy served their Country African Americans, by and large, were expected to serve other sailors.

Phillips became an advocate for equal rights and eventually went to work for NASA as a technician in its space program.

In the more than 60 years that followed Lanier Phillips never forgot the kind actions that opened his eyes to a brighter future and he spoke often of his deep love and affection for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Before his passing Mr. Phillips visited the Province many times to share his experiences with new generations and to support local educational causes. Always a stellar ambassador for Newfoundland and Labrador he was, and is, well loved throughout the Province by those privileged enough to have known him personally and those who know of his story.

In his latter days Mr. Phillips was given an honorary Degree from Memorial University and most recently, on the 70th anniversary of the shipwreck that changed his life, he was presented with an Honorary Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Province’s highest award.

As a Newfoundlander and Labradorian I believe the tokens of appreciation the Province have bestowed upon Lanier Phillips, for his generous nature and inspiring life, were not only fitting but were in fact the very least we, as a people, could have done.

With his passing this week I can only hope that the public has the passion and resolve to do far more in his memory. As much as Lanier Phillips believed his life was inspired by his time in Newfoundland and Labrador, so to have many other lives been blessed by the inspiration he provided.

Such a wonderful person, such an exceptional Newfoundlander and Labradorian, as Lanier Phillips should never be forgotten.

Harper Government Reaches All Time Canadian Low

Let’s just say it. The Harper government, in this writer’s opinion, is the most underhanded, legally deviant, ethically underdeveloped and morally bankrupt in Canadian history.

If you think that statement is over the top, read on, the facts speak for themselves.

Most Canadians in the course of the daily lives may have heard of some of the odd “happenings” here and there over the past few years such as a Minister stepping out of line or a Bill causing some controversy. That’s all well and good but each of those incidents taken on their own don’t add up to much. It isn’t until you view the broad spectrum of distasteful activity undertaken by the Harper government that a patter of lies, deceit and corruption truly begins to emerge, a smoking gun if you like.

Chose the adjective you prefer but I believe my opinion of this government is nothing more than appropriate. What else could you call a political party – and reigning government – that:

Is willing to break election laws by using money laundering as a means of winning an election (In and Out - 2006 election);

Is under investigation for allegedly misleading opposition supporters by claiming to represent Elections Canada and sending them to non-existent polling stations in an effort to prevent them from casting their ballot; and for placing calls to voters during the last election claiming to represent the opposing parties, calls that were intentionally rude and specifically timed to alienate voters;

Posted monitoring staff at polling stations during the last that were described as “aggressive” and who challenged the right of individuals to vote if they appeared to be of a certain ethnic or social background more likely to support another party.

So, what would you call them, and those are just the illegal and immoral election techniques the public is learning about. What else has been done that we may never know?

The immoral and unethical sludge that courses through the veins of Mr. Harper’s band of thieves & despots doesn’t stop there.

A quick review of just a few highlights from their time in power serves to drive home the realization that this party will stop at nothing to meet their objectives, regardless of the consequences or the legality. It also shows how widespread the immorality extends among the ranks of the Conservative government.

Bill C-30, introduced by Public Safety Minster Vic Toews:

The public recently forced the Harper government to rethink the content of Bill C-30 but there’s no guarantee it will improve much after a review by a Conservative controlled committee.

The Bill would give government the ability to spy on ordinary Canadians, without a warrant, even if those individuals were never involved in a crime or even suspected of one.

Having the RCMP or CSIS spy on Canadians without a warrant as part of a police investigation is bad enough but C-30 hands that ability to the Minister in charge or to “anyone” he appoints under circumstances of his choosing.

Based on the tactics already connected to the Conservatives during the election process one has to wonder who might be given the authority to investigate private online activities and just how much of the information gathered would be used for criminal investigations versus the amount used by the Conservative’s in targeting voters in an effort to win future elections.

As spying on law abiding Canadians isn’t bad enough, C-30 also denies Canadians the right to ever know if they’ve been spied upon and forces them to pay for that spying (with their tax dollars) while also shouldering the cost to service providers through increased internet and telephone rates.

The Omnibus Crime Bill (several Ministers had a hand in this one) purports to be “Tough on Crime”. That statement makes a great bumper sticker and it might be an example of sharp political grandstanding that appeals to Conservative supporters but what does the Bill actually mean for Canadians?

First of all it will mean automatic multi-year sentences for someone growing a few pot plants in their home. Sure it’s illegal, but is it reasonable for someone in possession of 6 pot plants to automatically be sentenced to several years in prison under the pretext that they’re somehow connected to organized crime.

On a personal level most conservative minded people may not care one whit what happens to a small time pot grower but they may want to consider the impact to their wallets. Most provincial courts and prison facilities are already at their limit and police are not called the “thin” blue line for nothing.

The courts are blocked and the cells are overcrowded. Does automatically handing a small time pot grower a multi-year sentence (in some cases longer than a person convicted of interfering with a child) actually make sense?

The Harper government is well aware of the implications of their crime bill. The workload for police will grow, Courts will be clogged, prisons will overflow and Provincial budgets will be stretched to the breaking point when they are forced to shoulder massive increases in costs they can’t afford to cover. To pay the additional cost most Province’s will have to either borrow money, sending them into deficit, or increase taxes.

By the way, in case you’re not paying attention, the taxpayers who pay federal taxes, which Mr. Harper and the Conservative Party so proudly say they are against increasing, are the same ones who pay the Provincial taxes that will have to be increased.

On the subject of the Conservative government championing lower taxes, who do you think will pay for Mr. Harper’s unilateral decision to limit federal health care spending at a time when an aging population is putting more and more strain on the system? The Province’s of course (deficit or higher taxes, aren’t those really the only options presented by Finance Minster Jim Flaherty?).

Speaking of the elderly, since gaining power the Harper government has changed the method of payment for the Canada Pension Plan, meaning less income for those who collect at age 60 rather than 65, than ever before. Never mind that the CPP is 100% paid for by employees and employers rather than the government or that the plan is fully funded and sound, the changes were quietly made anyway.

When it comes to aging Canadians there’s no limit to the Harper government’s scorn, any more than there is to their immoral acts during an election.

In recent weeks Prime Minister Harper himself has indicated that he plans to cut the cost of Old Age Security and, as a result, the cost of the Guaranteed Income Supplement which goes only to the poorest Canadians. Their most likely approach, based on the government’s refusal to deny it, is to increase the age of eligibility from 65 to 67 even though financial analysis shows that such a change isn’t necessary to sustain the program during a temporary bump in cost and that the move will result in more seniors slipping into poverty.

Not only would increasing the age of eligibility make it harder, if not impossible, for poorer workers in Canada to retire at 65 (the change will have little or no impact on the most wealthy) but once again the provinces will have to pick up additional expenses in order to fill the gap during those 2 years for anyone living on social assistance or who is unable to physically continue to work after 65.

Once again the Conservative “low tax” mantra is little more than another underhanded attempt to secure votes from uninformed Canadians while shifting the financial burden to the Provincial tax level. An approach that ultimately means more costs will fall back on the shoulders of tax payers..

With this Government we are seeing a widespread intensity of deceit, deception deviance never before witnessed in Canada.

The misdirection of “border security funding” to a Minister’s riding for his pet projects; (Minister Tony Clement, later placed in charge of federal purse strings as head of the Treasury Board)

A Minister of Defence who uses military aircraft as a personal taxi and tasks military personnel and resources to dig up dirt on opposition members; (Minister Peter MacKay)

A Prime Minister who claims it is standard practice for one of his Ministers to alter the intent of official documents after they’re signed by officials; (Minister Bev Oda)

Standing by a Minister who made jokes and laughed with cohorts about who might die during a nation wide outbreak of food poisoning that killed many innocent victims (Minister Gerry Ritz);

Using information gained by accessing a veteran’s personal medical files as a tool to discredit that veteran and his attempt to shed light on the inadequacies of a government agency (Minister Greg Thompson);

Party wide verbal assaults on any government official, or member of the public, who disagrees with the Harper agenda including the Parliamentary Budget Officer, Chief Nuclear Regulator, Food Safety Inspectors and anyone disagreeing with Bill C-30 (“…standing with Child Molesters” – Minister Vic Toews);

Stacking the Senate (which the party claims to want to reform) with Conservative operators, some of which are believed to have been directly involved in the election activities of the party (PM Harper) - not the least of which individuals involved in the In and Out scam and Mike Duffy, who, after CTV agreed not to air specific footage, did so anyway to belittle Liberal Leader Stephan Dion and who provided supposedly impartial media commentary on the election immediately prior to his Senate appointment;

Or how about the Conservatives setting up an unelected Conservative “Member’s” office in a riding held by an MP from another party all in an effort to undermine that MP and usurp his position with constituents.

No doubt this last action is a sneak preview of the activities that will take place during the next election campaign as it serves to help the Conservatives steal the riding the next time around. After all, if a voter in the riding has a problem with a government program who are they most likely to seek help from, their duly elected representative in opposition or someone planted there who they are led to believe has the ear of the ruling party and perhaps Mr. Harper himself?

The preceding is just a short, off the top of the head list of the reasons for my profound belief that we have now entered a new low in Canadian politics thanks to the Harper brand of Conservatism. There are many other examples, enough to fill volumes and all of it leaves little doubt that future political observers will look back on Stephen Harper in the same way Americans now view George W. Bush, as the most despised leader in his Nation’s history.

Richard Nixon’s Watergate was a single illegal act and as sleazy as it was it pales in comparison to what’s happening every day in Canada.

If all of this isn’t enough to convince the 39% of Canadians who voted Conservative in the last election that the Harper government is indeed the most short-sighted, underhanded, legally deviant and morally bankrupt government in Canadian history, then all I can say is:

Either you’re with me on this or you’re with the Child Molesters (sorry, my mistake) with the Harper government.

Fight cuts to Search and Rescue / Support Burton Winters

The following post was originally published on Sue Kelland Dyer's blog.  Sue and I don't always agree on the political situation in Newfoundland and Labrador, or in Canada for that matter, but this is a case where we definately see eye to eye and I hope Web Talk readers can as well.  Please visit the facebook site: Support for Burton Winters and show your support for Burton and the people of NL who depend on Search and Rescue for their lives. 

Let Newfoundlanders and Labradorians (and all Canadians) Worldwide Unite for Burton

There is a movement in Newfoundland and Labrador and it involves the loss of a young man's life from Makkovik.

It is the belief of our people that this young man did not have to die on the ice - trying to get home.

On Facebook there is a Group called "The Burton Winters' Rescue Center IN Labrador".

Our people are uniting and we need the voice of EVERY Newfoundlander and Labradorian as well as support from people in all Northern and Maritime jurisdictions.

Please remember Burton as the young man who walked 19 km's on the ice - bravely to try and find his way home. Please remember Burton by joining this group and its call for action.

Sue's original Post available at: http://nlpost.blogspot.com/2012/02/let-newfoundlanders-and-labradorians.html

OAS Changes will Cause Aboriginals & Poor to Die Sooner

Part 3 in a series on potential Old Age Security (OAS) changes.

That's right increasing the age of eligibility for Old Age Security will disproportionatly affect the poorest Canadians and those of Aboriginal descent, in fact it may even cause them to die years earlier than they would otherwise.

Who will suffer the most the age of eligibility for Old Age Security is raised from 65 to 67 or even higher? That’s the question I’ll try to shed some light on today.


Of course anyone already receiving OAS won’t be affected. If you believe the governing Conservatives, those close to 65 (nobody knows how close) won’t be either, but beyond that everyone who expects to makes less than a 100+ thousand a year after retirement will assuredly be affected.

With the state of company sponsored pensions and RRSPs, the high debt levels in Canada and the level of unemployment in various parts of the Country are any indication that’s likely to mean a very large portion of Canada’s population will be in serious trouble as they age.

For some it may mean having to work an additional 2 years (or whatever the number turns out to be).

Working longer may be an inconvenience for those in good health with white collar occupations but it might be a major problem for blue collar workers in physically demanding jobs. I sure wouldn’t want to be climbing around a construction site or loading tractor trailers late into my sixties, especially if my joints were already fighting back from years of abuse.

Even those lucky enough to have company pensions may feel the heat. What would happen if (as an example) it was decided to raise the age of qualification for anyone more than 5 out, in other words anyone under 60. What would happen to someone who retired already, say at 55 with a small company pension and enough savings to supplement their income until 65 when they expected to collect OAS?

Most company pension plans are designed to be clawed back by a substantial amount once a retiree reaches 65. If that happens what would an existing retiree do for income when his company pension is reduced and he or she still doesn’t qualify for OAS?

For some things might get pretty rough. It could mean less money after retirement to cover the cost of luxuries such as groceries, rent medications or heat. That’s bad enough but it could be worse…

What if the changes made you die sooner than you would have otherwise? Think it can’t happen, think again.

Many individuals can make arguments for leaving the age as it is but beyond the standard concerns across Canada there are two groups who could be hit pretty hard by a rise in the age of qualification.

The poor and Aboriginals

The Harper government claims that because people live longer today than they did in the 1960’s, when the qualification age was set at 65, something has to be done to offset this extended lifespan.

The average Canadian is indeed enjoying a longer life today but what he neglects to say is that the poorest Canadians and those of Aboriginal descent tend to die much younger than the average. This means that a rise in the age of eligibility will disproportionately penalize those groups by taking more money from their pockets than from anyone else. So much for Canadian equality.

Old Age Security - By the Numbers

Part 2 of a series of commentaries on proposed chnages to the Canadian Old Age Security program.

OAS Changes – By the Numbers


If Ottawa increases age of eligibility for Old Age Security (OAS) from 65 to 67, forcing a large part of the population to continue working further into their so called “golden years” what will the impact be?

In an effort to understand the potential impacts lets assume the Harper government will, as stated, leave current OAS recipients alone and have no plans to change the rules for anyone close to retirement. The actual age range that would be affected is as yet unknown but for the purposes of this evaluation let’s assume those within 5 years of eligibility (those already 60 or over) won’t be impacted.

Canada has an estimated population of 34.5 million citizens. Currently 27.5 million are under the age of 60 and would be directly impacted. Due to the low number of people with adequate company pension programs in Canada it’s a fair assumption that a large portion of these people would have to find other means of support when they retire, or they would have to ontinue working longer in order to receive less OAS from age 67 onward. (Lower benefits naturally result from collecting from a shorter period of time between enrolment and death).

The 27.5 million affected represent 80% of Canada’s population.

There’s more.

The reason Ottawa says it needs to make these changes is the large number of baby boomers about to retire (driving up the cost of the program) making it unsustainable. With that in mind one has to consider the long term outlook, not just the next decade or two.

Based on Canada’s age demographics the increased cost of baby boomer retirements will peak around 2031 and then begin to taper off as less boomers enter the program and more begin to pass away and are no longer in the system. After that point the cost of OAS will begin to drop off and eventually end up at an even lower cost (as a % of GDP) than it is today.

Approximately 30% of Canadians are between 45 and 59 and these individuals would be the most severely impacted. Many of these people are already in their “best earning years” and many will find it difficult to find ways of growing any soft of alternate retirement funds over the limited amount of time remaining before retirement. As a result they will have to make some tough decisions, either delaying retirement or looking for ways to offset those missing two years over a relatively short period, if they can even afford to invest any of their income in a volatile market.

Those who are unemployed or on social programs will also be in peril as they’ll continue to be dependent on provincial social programs for the intervening years.

Consider as well that a full 50% of today’s population, or more than 17 million Canadians, are currently under the age of 45. This means that even though they have more time to prepare for their future they will be affected regardless. These Canadians may have more time to prepare but is it really necessary to make these people the first generation to be forced into coping with less than the generation before them?

Even under the existing rules that allow for retirement at 65, anyone under 45 would not be eligible for OAS until at least 2032 or in most cases, many years later. This means that long after the increased cost of the baby boomer bulge has passed and when costs are dropping off these Canadians will still be forced to work longer for less pension dollars.

While the numbers touted by Conservative pundits may seem staggering, with costs growing from 36 Billion to 108 Billion by 2031, those numbers don’t tell the entire story.

Over the same period projections also show Canada’s GDP increasing at a healthy rate right along with the cost of OAS. The more accurate measurement to consider is the cost as a percent of Canada’s GDP. This measurement shows us that even at the height of the “bulge” (2031) the overall cost of the program is only expected reach 3.14% of GDP, a very sustainable number. Currently the cost sits at 2.41%. That’s a total increase of less than 1% of GDP (0.73% to be precise) after which the costs start to decrease at an ever increasing rate, eventually ending up even lower than the current level

The current government claims we only have to look to Greece or other European nations to see what happens when pension plans grow out of control. Never mind that the problems in some EU countries are the result of many complex issues that extend beyond public pensions, that’s the line they have decided to push.

When you consider that even 5 years ago France’s public pension plan cost about 10% of GDP, the UK 6.6%, Germany 10.4% and the EU at about 10%. Those numbers are hardly comparable to 3.14% 20 years from now. In fact the numbers show that rather than being a crisis, Canada’s temporary bubble in OAS cost is actually little more than a minor inconvenience.

In the end the numbers tell us that by increasing the age requirement in order to address a short term “bulge” Ottawa stands to benefit greatly from reduced program costs in later years while still forcing aging workers to remain in the workforce longer.

The benefits to Ottawa identified above don’t even include the added tax revenue generated from the quasi-enslaved workers, or additional impacts to workers such as the added tax burden they’ll face on a provincial level as the provinces are forced to extend existing social services program payments for low income individual past the age of 65 and until they are eligible for OAS at 67.

Ottaw is About to Pick Your Pockets - Again

If you saw a hard working older person being robbed of something they’d worked their entire lives for would you help them? Would you do the right thing or would you simply look the other way?

Would we even stand up for ourselves if we were the ones about to be robbed?

Thanks to the federal government we may soon be given an opportunity to find out.

Ottawa’s plan to move forward with changes to the Old Age Security system (OAS) in the upcoming budget will take money directly out of your pocket in the coming years and the pockets of Canada’s most vulnerable, its seniors.

At present Mr. Harper’s is focused on picking the pockets of those who look forward to collecting OAS at 65 but aren’t quite there yet. He says his plans won’t affect those already collecting OAS but once politicians and bureaucrats begin their tinkering it’s a slippery slope. Who knows where the changes will ultimately end.

For now the target is the average person in their 30’s, 40’s or 50’s, the hard working middle class. They’ll be the ones left to pay now and pay later.

If you’ve worked your entire life and hope to collect OAS at 65, you better think again.

The same people whose tax dollars currently pay for the program those over 65 enjoy are about to be told they’ll have to wait longer, perhaps to 67 or older before being eligible.

While your taxes have been paying for this federally funded plan since the first day you started working, if the Harper government has its way you can plan on toiling away to continue paying for it well out into your so called golden years.

So why is the Harper hell bent on messing with the Old Age Pension?

He says it’s because the crush of Baby Boomers about to retire will drive up the cost making it unsustainable. That’s a lie. In fact the real motive behind this robbery is to keep the working class slaving away even longer in order to prop up a declining workforce and continue paying taxes for a few more years.

The federal finance minister is quick to toss out big numbers as a way of proving the program is unsustainable. As impressive as those numbers appear they’re nothing but smoke and mirrors.

The truth is that 20 years out those same Baby Boomers blamed for putting too much strain on the system will begin to pass away and the cost of providing the OAS will once again naturally slide back to more normal levels.

Even with the “boom” about to happen the cost is projected to be just over 3% of GDP, a sustainable amount considering the rate of fiscal growth in Canada each year. Naturally it isn’t the sort of increase a government would want to manage for too long but as the number of surviving Baby Boomers naturally declines after so will the costs.

There’s a reason the working class are called “wage slaves” and this is it.

Not only will you have Mr. Harper to thank for working longer in order to pay for a system you won’t be able to access until much later in life but as an added bonus you’ll also get to pay more to cover the gap it will create on the provincial level.

Currently provincial governments cease to pay social assistance to low income recipients once they begin collecting Old Age Security at 65. Raising the age of qualification means provincial assistance programs will have to be extended to fill the void, and guess who’ll have to pay for this added tax burden being downloaded to the provinces?

When you add it up, raising the age of qualification for OAS means:

A) Canadians will be forced to work longer before they can retire;

B) Will continue to pay more federal taxes over the extended period in order to support those already on OAS;

C) Will be forced to pay even higher provincial taxes necessary to extend social programs needed to fill the void left by the changes; and

D) In the end will collect less OAS by virtue of receiving it later in life than they would have otherwise.

If that isn’t like someone stealing money out of your pocket I don’t know what is.

If you hope to collect Old Age Security at 65, if you’re a hard working person who doesn’t have a company pension or your pension won’t be enough to retire on, if you are in a physically demanding job and worry that you may not be able to physically continue working past 65, now is the time to stand up and do something for yourself and those around you.

Call, write or email your Member of Parliament. Let them know how you feel about being fleeced. Contact the Prime Minister directly. Send a message to the Conservative Party of Canada letting them know that you won’t stand for it and they’ll pay the price in the next election.

If someone was about to be robbed, would you try to stop it? Somebody is and it’s you.

Note:  If you aren't sure how to contact your Member of Parliament check out the links section on the left side of this page for a site that will allow you to look up their contact information.