Tories will keep retirement age 65, allow seniors to earn $34K tax free

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OTTAWA — The leader of Canada’s Conservatives doubled down on his promise to keep Canada’s mandatory retirement age at 65.

Speaking Monday to the Canadian Association of Retired Persons at ZoomerHall in Liberty Village, Pierre Poilievre highlighted how a Conservative government would maintain the age of receiving Old Age Security (OAS), Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and Canada Pension Plan (CPP) payments.

“A Conservative government will honour and reward the hard work of seniors by keeping your first $34,000 of earnings completely tax free,” Poilievre continued.

“Seniors who work get clawed back on their benefits, then they pay payroll tax, and income tax — and at some income levels they actually end up worse off by earning their next dollar.”

That would increase current income thresholds by $10,000.

“We’re a country that has always been practical at solving its problems, and determined to give the next generation a better life than what came before us,” Poilievre said.

“The Canadian promise of which I speak is worthless, if it is not granted first and foremost to our seniors, the people who built this country.”

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Noting there are increasing numbers of seniors struggling with everyday life, he said Canada should be rewarding seniors for their thrift, hard work and savings.

The move is the Tories latest move to appeal to baby boomer voters — a key deciding demographic and widely-believed stronghold of Liberal support.

Poilievre was a cabinet minister under Prime Minister Stephen Harper when his government controversially increased the retirement age, so Monday’s announcement represents a detour from previous Conservative policy.

In his introductory remarks, Canadian broadcasting pioneer Moses Znaimer ribbed Poilievre by accusing his handlers of holding back the Tory leader’s exuberance.

“I think they may have gone too far,” he said.

“I mean, really … It isn’t necessary to be as boring as Mr. Carney in order to prove that you can be a leader.”

Canada, Znaimer said, is ready for “passionate statements” from a “passionate leader” who can explain what happened to Canada over the past decade.

“What happened to the decent, democratic country we had and could still recognize as recently as 10 years ago,” he said.

“What, and who, is responsible for those 10 lost years, and how should they be held accountable?”

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume