To the Editor,
Seniors! There was a meeting on Dec. 16, 2013 of federal and provincial finance ministers and advisors to talk about how to enrich the Canadian Pension Plan. Media interviews showed confused verbiage about no consensus was achieved. It was an expensive waste of effort.
Fellow elders, we are a strong voting block that can influence political party thinking. We can rationalize what is good for this country or at least determine the lesser of the wrongs. Then we can leverage with our voice, and with our vote that the government heed the elders’ advice.
If economic dark clouds are rising, then we must keep our wallets tight and use our resources as a tactic for change.
As one group, we can support the political organization that listens to us, that hears our concerns and will get the good decisions moving.
We will need to pressure that political group strategically but firmly with positive reinforcement. Support what they will do and hold them accountable for the collective good of the country.
If politicians are abandoning the elderly into the stress of poverty, then we seniors must be prepared to help those who are stricken. Politicians need to hear our stories about why we have fixed incomes of $6,000, $12,000 or $20,000 in an economy that demands more dollars or hundreds of dollars a year to exist.
The national policy seems to be let senior poverty increase. They kick the bucket down the road so to speak. That’s insensitive and crass.
Bruce E Hornidge,
Port Albern