Albertans need pension stability and expansion, instead of UCP threats
EDMONTON – Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) president Gil McGowan responded to the NDP Caucus’ release of their retirement security plan for Albertans.
“Today, we were given a clear alternative to the UCP threat to take away Albertan’s access to the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) that they have been paying into throughout their working lives,” said McGowan.
Rachel Notley and the NDP Caucus tabled proposals today that would secure Albertans’ access to the CPP that they have paid into. McGowan said that he foresees retirement security to be a crucial issue to voters in the May 29th election.
“For most of us, the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) is our main source of retirement income,” said McGowan. “It’s portable from province to province, it’s stable and its benefits are adjusted for inflation, and it’s backed by 38 million Canadians.”
McGowan stated that parties will need to go further to ensure all Albertans have access to a dignified retirement. This includes ensuring that all workers, private and public, can access a defined pension plan, should they want one.
“Alberta’s political parties need to do more to expand access to pensions for workers in all sectors,” concluded McGowan. “Ending the threat of abandoning the CPP is a positive first step, but parties will need detailed plans for a secure retirement for every Alberta worker to get their vote.”
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MEDIA CONTACT:
John Ashton
Director of Communications, AFL