对于安省保守党党魁Patrick Brown来说，第一大考研即将到来，那就是靠边站的问题。Patrick Brown必须明确，自己将和安省人民一道，还是站在保守党政府Stephen Harper那边，试图扼杀安省政府所试图推出的独立退休养老金计划(Ontario Retirement Pension Plan，简称ORPP)，用以帮助百万计辛勤工作的居民。
Does Patrick Brown Stand With Ontario, Or With Stephen Harper?
–Harper’s Refusal to Cooperate on the ORPP Puts Ontarians’ Retirement Security in Jeopardy
In his first major test as Ontario PC leader, Patrick Brown must choose between standing up for Ontario or supporting Stephen Harper’s attempt to kill a provincial pension plan that will help millions of hardworking Ontarians save for retirement.
The Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP) was a central part of the 2014 provincial Liberal election platform, which was endorsed by Ontarians when they elected a majority Liberal government. It will enhance retirement savings for the two-thirds of Ontarians who don’t have workplace pension plans and for whom the average annual payout of the Canada Pension Plan — $6,900 — is simply not enough.
“Patrick Brown claims to be for Ontario, but he’s hiding behind the man standing in the way of a brighter future in retirement for over three million Ontarians,” said Mitzie Hunter, the Associate Minister responsible for the ORPP. “If he really wants to go to bat for Ontario, he will call on Stephen Harper to quit playing political games and start cooperating with us.”
Harper’s refusal to allow federal and provincial officials to cooperate on ORPP administration goes against current practice. Already, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) administers 28 benefit programs on behalf of provinces, and has 88 data-sharing agreements in place. There is a cooperative agreement covering the Quebec Pension Plan, and the federal Conservatives introduced legislative changes in 2010 to accommodate the Saskatchewan Pension Plan.
“When the late Jim Flaherty was Finance Minister, he stepped up to help Saskatchewan retirees in 2010, and he promised that the Government of Canada would continue to work with all provinces and territories to strengthen Canada’s retirement income system,” said Hunter. “Ontarians have a right to expect that same cooperation from their federal government.”
“We’re asking for fair treatment, not special treatment,” Hunter continued. “If Patrick Brown wants to defend his mentor, he’ll have to explain why Stephen Harper has been happy to help Quebec and Saskatchewan with their provincial savings plans, but now wants to jeopardize a secure retirement for Ontarians.”
Hunter concluded: “Our government remains committed to introducing the ORPP in 2017 as planned, even if that means driving past petty attempts from Stephen Harper and his apologists in Ontario to kill it. We won’t apologize for doing what is right and what is needed for our future retirees.”
