Dollars and (common) Sense

We’ve been doing a lot of research here at The Experience Group over the past couple of years. 

Do you remember back in 2012 when Stephen Harper proposed raising the age of eligibility for OAS from 65 – 67?  He suggested the changes be phased in from 2023 to 2029.  Then our current Prime Minister decided that moving the retirement age to 67 was a “big mistake” and restored the age back to 65.  This, in spite of the fact that people are living longer and 65 is no longer considered old.  I do not share his less-than-inclusive perspective.

And now with increasing deficits that were worsened by pandemic spending, growing inflation, the high cost of living, a government that can’t stop spending, I wonder how we fund the mess we have gotten ourselves into.  I read somewhere that Canada’s defence spending alone could be over 50B$ a year!  If the eligibility of retirement was extended to 67, that action alone could fund a significant portion of the defence cost alone.  And increasing the age even further would help even more.

So, instead of shutting out “older” workers why aren’t we keeping them in the economy?  But this shift is going to take a new mindset, plenty of changes in our systems and the structures we have become comfortable with.  And many who prosper through the antiquated system do not welcome the idea that we (the Boomers and soon Millennials) can and will be working well into our 70’s.

Whether older workers are retired without their permission or not hired because of their age, these actions certainly aren’t helping our economy, our health care system, the generations that follow or our communities in general.

Help us change the narrative.  Become one of our “Age Smart Employer” partners or enlist in our “Silver Seal” program today.