ib, os _ Castlégar News October 19, 1983

Pension reform: hea

By GORD McINT0SH ‘The Canadian Press

A Brantford, Ont., woman works 49 years at thé same company and winds up with a paltry $147.60 a month in private pension benefits.

A 79-year-old Toronto widow, wearing clothes she bought 17 years ago, tells a group of MPs -how to shop around for day-old Broad and over-ripe fruit.

And lain that the money iisccay coated eer ies Cosaorcol Gites pension plan isn't invested

In the midst of all this is the parliamentary committee on pension reform, which has had to slog through six months of horror stories about Canada’s retirement system and try to find some consensus.

run from protection against: inflation to) portability, |

They believe, as the United!‘Auto Workers told the committee, that the private sector isn't capable of providing adequate pensions ed Canada’s elderly,

“If

are to pecure a. decent and dignified ,

retirement, they will not be able ‘to do'so under’ private pensions,” said Robert White, Canadian director ‘of the UAW.

“Although we take justifiable pride in some of the pension plans that our union has been able to negotiate for many of our members, the best private plans cannot replace

the security or the income levels of an expanded public

pension system.” On the other hand, groups, while that reforms such as portability are needed now, balk at‘any. changes in

The d to hear on Ottawa's green paper on pension reform, will be in the Atlantic’ provinces this week for a final round of hearings after a week in Toronto. Chairman Doug Frith, Liberal Member of Parliament for Sudbury, says its report will be ready in a month.

Amid all the charts, graphs, briefs and actuarial tables, everybody agrees Canada's retirement system is outmoded. But the consensus stops there.

URGE EXPANSION

On the one hand are the groups representing employee interests. They want the ‘government's role in the pension system expanded, in addition to a wide range of reforms that

But they’ say the pension yale eat be-refrmed without le in it: In some cases Improvements could be made by employers o8 an ad oe or voluntary, basis.

"We do not accept the vow thit {tla the Tle of ility. forthe economic well-being of the mainstream of tholaboe fore,” says Robert MacIntosh, president of the Canidian Bankers Association:,

The’ gap between the two Nadel ‘prompted Flora’

Progressive Conservative MP. for Kingston and the Islands, to complain last week the difference in| opinion soncted Coe der, ae the committee cronsed hs OOUY,

CRAZY QUILT Singe the Old Age Pension Act became law) in 1927, Capsaitei pension, system: has, become (@) ereay,/ aut (of

pension system. They also don't want inflation because it would be too expensive.,’ | SOME AGREEMENT .

Pthat' their I

They are,

need things like portability, better survivor benefits and a) svesting

shorter so-called period before the employer's

the regulatory structure, of the ©

and an cery of public ind pefvate, plana Bosped an top of ane aiather: i Basic retirement nistarts with two: igovern-

: protection ment plans oo ‘Age. Security, 4 flat-rate benefit at age 65,

and, ‘since ‘1966, the! Canada and parallel ‘Quebec: pension plans, which guarantee pension income at age €5 equal to 25

contributions are added to the employee's for the of benefits. There is currently a standard vesting period of 10 years. The green paper recommends two ni

per cent ofa average p p: toa ceiling.

A slop In th. ayto the Gunrantnd ey

And most employer groups ips agree that be done quickly for more than a haillion pensioners ee below or on the poverty line. :

to bring case eet recniaats

-above.the poverty line, More than half i and over — beuue attend rete

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4s CANADA S No. 1 PROBLEM.

CP Econcmies Writer ‘ ae ‘ If there's one thing government, business and liBor leaders agree on, along with professional economists and workers, it’s that Canada’s| huge unemployment’ rate |

! must be brought down as quickly|as

Unfortunately, they can't agree ‘on how to: do ay { ‘This is probably because most of those people have a roti pow gpg rage ic ts. i

threoghoat the 12 months.

‘Inthe first nine months of this year, tin rr

been 12.2 per cent, or about 1.5 million Canadians, Some

groups, such as young people, have been hit almost wice as hard. 3

‘And last, week saw continuing trouble in the Gaspe town of Grande Vallée, Que., where 80 per. cent. of: the workers ‘are looking’ for’ jobs.

é OUTLOOK POOR ‘The latest globihy outlook came from the recent 20th

| annual report from the Ottawa-based Economic Counell: of Canada.

Teexpects the angual ayerage rate to decline slightly raat veat, to 11 et to drop a bit more di the following three ‘years, ig at about 11.1 perc by. the end of 1967. .

‘Tho counell says the rise and persistence’ of ‘vient: ployment and the altered role of women, especially as

providers, are the most evident economic changed

in Fecent:

‘years, : 7 | “It seems Hkely that these issues will be mads even more complex ‘over the (next three to five years) ‘as technélogical change hid the advent of the microchip and robotics displace skills that have become redundant and | create skill shortages in many of the new occupations, “Thus the resoltition of unemployment in this decade will be of foremost importance.” : 0 o;Measures such as government grants to encourage hiring new workers are likely to have only short-term effects and won't get to the root of the problem, the

MUST SET GOALS It argues that specific goals must be set. up to strengthen the economy broadly. ‘That would create jobs: to encourage a steady influx of workers into the labor: force and could bring the unemployment rate down to six + per cent or eight per cent by 1987. “That's still high, but a Ne rere on what tlie council and others foresée unless the more’ strongly and anticipated.” , hon tb cone ied itrevaw 20 oars, th

y

'| council suggests;

pays meg

Fury iesoted goal Heth ales cas en He ‘compared with'an expected 1.5 to 2.6 per cent this year;

4 productivity rising by 24 per cent a'year; unemployment

averaging three per Cent; inflation at two per cent — all the while. improving: social and welfare benefits ‘and I balances of p: stable.

Now, the council wants to see productivity rising an average of 1.5 to two per cent a year through to 1967; unemployment down to six or eight per cent a year; annual. inflation of five per cent; encouragement of : domestic savings to limit foreign investment and maintaining ‘social progranis, but making them more efficient.

‘So, in 20°years, deteriorating economic conditions have effectively lowered the council's proposed targets to half. ©

‘That's not the way to build national pride — or jobs.

VSE stock prices

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H index closed at a new low of on 60.86, HRS, ‘Industry

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( RD ousber'9,103_Castlegat'News ss

ee ee ‘Tater: “Prisoner of

‘national’s Aree nrcog Week.” The folowing was)

Wes

sie ¢ :

riticize

“im ian\clergy’s policy of repres- their

ed by «Pat ‘Donohue ‘of the \C; “Astaraatfnal group and is the fet of wo pars. The nscond _ Part will appear in Sunday's Castlegar N: jews, 4

By PATDONORUE $58 ¢ Amnesty International has been called “a conspiracy Shope,” It was launched in'1961 as'a temporary human rights ‘.gampaign’on behalf of people sea Ba ce seaman’ Soe ‘Benenson as “Prisoners of Conscience.”

‘Like income tax, this ‘temporary, measure his

re grown ‘{ato a permanent fixutre. ‘This week, Oct. 17 to 22, marks the. Week.

arth ‘annual 'Prisoners of Conscience’ “Every year the I:

‘year’s Prisoners.

: Of Conpelonee Week is human rights setiviet In prion: ‘tor 'A

‘The very first

; unlebs people wark'to dem- venir anllaena /Pauling salde

pen * human being'to do-what he

“were two Portugese students wy in’ late 1960*under: the

On. May 28, ieei ine te RSLs GE ae ee The

: can to save the human race

knowledgement ofthe Iran- Sioa \pgalnst tho Baha'is.

She ated that the author-

lran

deny their Baha'i beliefs; and where Baha'is cannot bury dead ‘or even receive the bodies of ‘their slain fa- thers,. mothers, husbands, wives or children,

The Canadian Baha'i com- munity has sent’a letter of

in protest to the'Iranian em-

will have to do the same, It will be twice as great'a bur-

den on the Soviet system; the;

Soviet people will. revolt

Pauling said that in ‘con- tast to Reagan's idea, Paul Warnke, Ameican negotiator

for ‘the current’ ‘round® af :

thrédtens - poral regroe opener ad aueaheree pry aes :

es net

, stated: “The U.S. is twice as “wealthy as the Soviets, If. we

arms talks, ‘said last week that such a plan cannot: work.

‘Tht in because the Boviet

bassy and appealed to Can-

‘The Baha’ National Centre

cannot’ of Canada reporta that since

the execution of 17 men, women and girls in June, there have been at least 600 more Baha'is arrested, bring-

ing to more than 250 the

number of Baha'is being held without ‘charge in Iran's

Prisons. (submitted by Norman Fields)

Give the United Way.

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The fects of al Amnesty work to prioouers, On shal of all opposes the death penalty, torture or othse) cruel ithuman ee On

‘Ht was launched in 1961 as.a temporary h rights paign

Dehalf of political prisoners poslonretenrgtdemeent ori

‘The:

because of this re

ee sen ena ei ate 1 Oe et oe bait a !

Jani ‘of'a human being

Seated uy ered frm rm by tefl of

i human rights standards,

At the aa of Prisoner of ‘Conscience Week there will

still be prisoners of conscience,’ the work is. ongoing, but

Peso tee, hing Activity snd ‘by atiply staking more people aware we will all be working to

erence: of prisoosta ot conscience,

W AMNESTY WORKS

- Rewoarch and ltr writing are the hey activice of

of,

The

‘collects and about of human rights around the world and keeps comprehensive. records of known or possible prisoners. ‘of! ' conscience, political prisoners, torture victims, and individuats facing the death , Sentence.

Information comes from many sources, public “and private, and is carefully studied and cross checked before action is taken. Accuracy and impartiality are the twin

tes that guide all

See tae ities ene gwen teeens facut gana ‘3 purpose is not to as such or political nor does it support the, views of the Brisoner’s whose rights it seeks to.

Tho reafarch a suitly about human Fights, respec: tive of _ Pafitical considerations, .To jassure political bers do not work on

cases involving their own countries: DOES IT WORK? 5 Probably the most commonly asked question to is: how effective is writing a. letter to a government official?, The. niost emphatic testimony to the efficiency of Amnesty’s method comes from Julio de Pena Veldez, a trade union leader and former. Prisoner of Conscience. “I was naked in my cell. When the first 200 letters came the guards gave me back my clothes. Then the next 200 letters came and the prison director came to see me. When °

the next pile of letters came the director got in touch with « -

his superior. The letters kept coming and coming::3,000 of them. The President was informed. The letters still coming, and the President called the prison and told them to let ‘me go. ‘\) “After I was released the President called me to his office. He said, “How is it that a trade union leader like you has 20 many friends all over the world?" He showed me an enormous box of letters he had received and when we parted ‘he gave them to me.”

After reading this no one can doubt the effectiveness of

: letter writing for Prisoners of Conscience. During Prisoner

of Conscience Week I would hope that other members of the public would write on behalf of the featured cases.

If anyone would like more information about Amnesty International they should contact Amnesty International Group 66 at P.Q. Box. 8688, Castlegar, or phone 966-8937.

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