The National Pensioners and Senior Citizens Federation (NPSCF) has taken to Ottawa today to lobby Members of Parliament for better pension coverage and support for seniors, saying that Canada’s retirement security is “under attack.”
However, NPSCF says its planned meeting with Alice Wong, minister of state for seniors, was cancelled at the last minute.
“We are very disappointed by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s refusal to meet with us,” said Barry Thorsteinson, president of NPSCF. “The meeting with Minister Wong had been confirmed for Tuesday afternoon, and we were counting on it.”
Besides pension concerns, Thorsteinson says seniors are facing a wide range of concerns, including poverty, housing and healthcare, just to name a few. He accuses the Harper Government of ignoring the concerns of seniors in need.
NPSCF has arranged meetings with Opposition MPs, Liberal MPs and Shelly Glover, parliamentary secretary (finance) throughout the day tomorrow.
“We are here to lobby on behalf of all seniors,” says Thorsteinson. “And we will not be discouraged by the Harper Government’s lack of interest in what we have to say.”