Mr. Speaker, late one night in the Manitoba legislature a group of retired teachers appeared before committee with a passionate plea. They talked in detail about the impact of their pension program and pleaded with the government to do more.
Over the last couple of days people have come to me again emphasizing just how important the pension issue really is. They have also emphasized the importance of having the ability to communicate their messages.
I listened to the member. NDP members may be a bit offside in the sense that they do not necessarily see a role for the private sector to play in helping with pensionable income.
There is an overall retirement issue, whether it is the retirement pensions of teachers, RRSP contributions or contributions to CPP. There is a mixture out there. The OAS, the CPP and the guaranteed income supplement make up the core, and the government has really fallen short in this regard.
I am interested in hearing the member's belief in terms of the overall need for a multitude of different types of pension programs that ultimately help supplement income in retirement years.