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CLC leader says Finance Minister will face backlash
Ottawa (24 March 2010) – The Canadian Labour Congress is disappointed that pension reform consultations announced by the federal finance minister will include only three meetings open to the public.
“These are not the broadly-based public consultations that we have been promised on pension reform, and the minister is going to face a backlash from frustrated Canadians,” say CLC President Ken Georgett.
Georgetti was responding to an announcement made on March 24 by Jim Flaherty, the federal finance minister. Flaherty said that in April and May pension reform will be discussed in town hall meetings in Charlottetown, Quebec City and Richmond, B.C. There will be policy conferences with invited participants in Calgary and Toronto and several other meetings open only to invited stakeholders.
“Well over half of all Canadians will have no access to public forums on the future of their pensions,” says Georgetti. “If you live in the province of Ontario, or in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Yukon or Northwest Territories, you won’t be able to attend a meeting and have your say. That is not good enough and I invite Canadians to tell the minister so.”
The CLC is encouraging members to call or e-mail Finance Minister Flaherty’s office in Otawa at 613-992-6344 – e-mail at jflaherty@fin.gc.ca – and in his riding at 905-665-8182, and MP Ted Menzies’ office aat 613-995-8471 and in his riding at 403-625-5532 to push for expanded public access to the federal government’s consultation on Canada’s retirement income system.
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