Mr. Chair, I thank the member for Yukon for raising the issue of the military because there has not been a lot said in the debate tonight regarding them.
He raised the issue of military superannuation and the CPP, which is important, but he made mention of a new CPP. The proposition, as I understand it, is not for a new CPP but a growth of the core assets of CPP over a period of 35 years which, if at the rate that we would like to see, would ultimately cause the payout of CPP to go from $908 a month to over $1,800 a month.
In my mind, that period of time and with people of goodwill in this place,we would be able to deal with the concerns he has about that balancing between the military superannuation and the CPP. What I hear in this place are people who are willing to come together to try to overcome issues like that.
The member's party has proposed a voluntary supplemental CPP. My concern is that, if 63% of Canadians today have no pension and no savings, they are the generation that is also living on credit. They are people who have not had a record of savings for a variety of reasons. It strikes me as very unlikely that the supplemental CPP would be any different for them than the RRSP system is today and as ineffectual for them in their future. We need to act wisely on this. As the government has said repeatedly, it is necessary to give solid consideration to the outcomes.
I reported earlier tonight that Professor Kesselman, who is an expert on pensions from out west, has endorsed the NDP's view in a discussion that there seems to be a consensus coming on increasing the CPP. Jack Mintz, the head of the task force itself, has agreed with that.
On balance, why is the Liberal Party still holding on to this idea of a supplemental CPP that will not apply to these particular people?