2003-04-08

Mr. Eves is attacking the wrong end of the stick if he wants to alleviate poverty among retirees by removing mandatory retirement. His government is largely responsible for that poverty.

Because the Tories removed effective rent controls, housing costs have skyrocketed. Their attempts to privatize and deregulate Hydro had people facing huge increases in their utility bills. Their clumsy attempts at Market Value Assessment led to some people facing massive increases in their property tax. Because they have cut subsidies to municipal public transportation, bus and subway fares have soared. Because they have cut funding to health care, people are forced to pay more out of their own pockets. In addition, because they have supported corporate raids on employee pension plan surpluses, pensioners have less money and fewer benefits.

I spent seven and one half weeks on the picket line last year to prevent the Tories from taking control of my pension plan. Still, we were unsuccessful in preventing them from rolling back health care benefits to our retirees and us. Eves' solution of making people work through their retirement is a cynical response by a morally bankrupt government.

His announcement of property tax credits for seniors merely replaces the previous NDP program of property and sales tax credits. Moreover, it removes the means test, so that the wealthiest get the lions share of those credits.

The NDP's publicpower platform calls for increased spending on affordable housing, health care, public transportation and seniors' services. It also calls for indexing all pensions in the province and will outlaw employer raiding of surpluses and it immediately raises the minimum wage to $8.00 per hour so if someone does decide they want to return to the work force, they will get more than starvation wages.

These are the sorts of measures that will make things easier for those over the age of 65. Let Eves call an election so people can decide whether they prefer to be able to retire in comfort and dignity or be forced to work all their lives just to survive.

Gary Dale, Provincial NDP Candidate
Scarborough East