Evidence of meeting #11 for Finance in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was benefits.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Serge Cadieux  National President, Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union
Lee Lockwood  As an Individual
Norma Nielson  Professor and Chair in Insurance and Risk Management, Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary, As an Individual
Tony Wacheski  As an Individual

5 p.m.

Professor and Chair in Insurance and Risk Management, Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary, As an Individual

Norma Nielson

Universities are a bit of a weird animal, which have a contributory defined benefit plan.

5 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

Do you think anybody is going to be doing defined benefit plans any more?

5 p.m.

Professor and Chair in Insurance and Risk Management, Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary, As an Individual

Norma Nielson

I think they're a wonderful source of security. If we can keep the ones we have, we'd be doing very well.

5:05 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

Well, you're not going to get an argument from me, that's for sure.

April 22nd, 2010 / 5:05 p.m.

Professor and Chair in Insurance and Risk Management, Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary, As an Individual

Norma Nielson

Eliminating the complexity would help a lot, but the risk and.... The employment world has changed. People staying with one employer for 40 years is no longer the norm.

5:05 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

It has gone by the board.

5:05 p.m.

Professor and Chair in Insurance and Risk Management, Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary, As an Individual

Norma Nielson

Therefore the defined benefit's a harder thing to match up with employment.

5:05 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

When you talk about creating the infrastructure needed for the private sector to offer efficient investment vehicles, what's the problem? Why can't that be done?

5:05 p.m.

Professor and Chair in Insurance and Risk Management, Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary, As an Individual

Norma Nielson

Right now there are rules that prohibit the comingling of funds. So if a union plan wants to have a multi-employer-sponsored arrangement they can, with the union named as the plan sponsor. If a bunch of small ski resort operators want to get together to have a pension plan, pool their assets and administrative overhead costs and divvy them up, they can't do that because a financial institution like Manulife or Royal of Canada is not allowed to be a plan sponsor and take on the legal role of a plan sponsor.

5:05 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

Am I done?

5:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

You have one minute.

5:05 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

I have a final question, Mr. Wacheski.

On this desire to get to the top of the priority list, I'm not quite sure how high up the priority list you're going. Are you above unsecureds?

5:05 p.m.

As an Individual

5:05 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

Are you above preferreds?

5:05 p.m.

As an Individual

5:05 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

Okay. So you're below preferreds.

5:05 p.m.

As an Individual

Tony Wacheski

We don't want to be super-priority; we just want to be above all the people who have the leverage we don't have.

5:05 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

So you're above unsecureds. Are you below secureds?

5:05 p.m.

As an Individual

5:05 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

And you're below preferreds.

5:05 p.m.

As an Individual

Tony Wacheski

I believe so.

5:05 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

Okay. So you're creating a fourth category, if you will.

5:05 p.m.

As an Individual

Tony Wacheski

I don't know if that's true.

5:05 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

It's like a fourth category, because you would have priority ahead of all unsecureds but below the government, if they owed taxes. That's kind of cute, isn't it?

5:05 p.m.

As an Individual