Latest News

Brandon Sun - ONLINE EDITION

Tories won't sever pension from big bill

By: Staff Writer

Friday, Sep. 21, 2012 at 8:03 AM | Comments: 0

OTTAWA -- If opposition MPs want to be seen supporting cuts to their gold-plated pension plan, they'll have to vote for a host of other measures, no matter how unpalatable.

Treasury Board President Tony Clement confirmed Thursday MP pension reforms will be included in the second, omnibus budget implementation bill, expected to be introduced shortly.

Clement told the House of Commons there will be no separate, stand-alone bill on pension reform, as opposition parties had urged.

Opposition MPs believe the tactic is aimed at putting them in an untenable position: support the budget bill, no matter what else is in it, or vote against cuts to their own fat pensions.

"This is what they do with omnibus bills," Liberal MP Marc Garneau fumed.

"They force everything to be one single vote. There may be things in the omnibus project that we could support, but there are probably things we cannot support. But we can only vote once and that's the problem."

If opposition MPs vote against the bill, Tories will undoubtedly accuse them of refusing to share the pain of Canadians, whose retirement savings have taken a big hit in the last few years and who are being asked to wait until 67 to collect old age security.

Garneau said Canadian voters need to see a recorded vote on the specific pension reforms so they know exactly where their MPs stand.

"We're ready to do it. We're ready to fast-track it," he said.

The opposition brought Parliament to a standstill last spring in a futile bid to stop the Harper government's first omnibus budget bill, which ran to 400-plus pages and involved controversial changes to some 70 different pieces of legislation -- including measures never before announced or alluded to by the government.

-- The Canadian Press

Rate this
This article has not yet been rated.

We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high. If you thought it was well written, do the same. If it doesn’t meet your standards, mark it accordingly.

You can also register and/or login to the site and join the conversation by leaving a comment.

Rate it yourself by rolling over the stars and clicking when you reach your desired rating. We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high.

Sort by: Newest to Oldest | Oldest to Newest | Most Popular 0 Comments

You can comment on most stories on brandonsun.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

There are no comments at the moment. Be the first to post a comment below.

Post Your Comment

The Brandon Sun does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. Comments are moderated before publication. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.