Mr. Speaker, I would think that government members would have enough interest in the Canada pension plan and the future of our security that they would at least be in the House to participate in this debate.
The impact of changes to the CPP go beyond the financial consequences now or even the security of our retirement. I believe this debate will be a turning point in our children's attitudes toward our generation. Their attitudes could have significant consequences for society when our children and younger Canadians stand in our place and when it is their turn to make decisions affecting us. I believe we will be judged in not too many years on the measure of fairness we show now.
Our economic security tomorrow will surely be influenced by the concern we demonstrate today for the interests of the next generation.
Bluntly stated, the proposed changes to the CPP are completely unfair to our children and to younger working Canadians in three ways.
First, it places on their shoulders most of the burden for paying for the disastrously poor design and past mismanagement of the plan.
Second, it misses a golden opportunity to allow them to get the best pension return possible for each dollar paid into the plan. The Liberal plan gives young workers a return so low that no one would ever buy into such a scheme of their own free will.
Third, it imposes a 73 percent increase in employees and employers CPP contributions. This amounts to the biggest tax increase in Canadian history and is an enormous payroll tax hike.
Even the Liberals admit that payroll taxes kill jobs. This whopper comes at a time when youth unemployment stands at a staggering 17 percent, and by some estimates is 25 percent in real terms. Not only does the Liberal plan kill the hope of young Canadians for a decent pension when they retire. It also kills their prospect for jobs today.
That is why the debate is critical and one with far-reaching consequences for all of us and for the future well-being of Canadian society. Reform is urging the government to move toward giving Canadians ownership of their own pension contributions and restoring the belief, especially of younger Canadians, that the plan will deliver decent retirement security for reasonable contributions.
The proposed changes by the Liberals are immense and far-reaching and simply cannot be allowed to be rammed through in a hurry. We will be insisting that public hearings be held across Canada before the government touches the Canada pension plan.
I invite Canadians to join with the Reform in addressing this vital CPP issue. Canadians must have a considerable say in the future of the program.
In closing I quote a statesman from another parliament in another time but whose words are very appropriate today. I hope the government will listen. He said “A politician plans for the next election”.
That is what the Liberals are doing. They know there is a mess in the Canada pension plan. They are simply trying to infuse it with more money at the expense of our children to keep it afloat until they can take off with their own gold plated MP pensions and not have to worry about it any more.
The statement goes on “A statesman plans for the next generation”. We have a duty and an obligation in the House to plan for the next generation. I urge us to take that obligation very seriously.