I hope the Harper Government approaches the reform of OAS payments in a manner that looks at different options instead of a dictate from above.
In particular, I believe that seniors in poor health should be able to tap into pensions sooner rather than later. If a person has a bad back, knees that don’t work, hips that cause constant pain, a bad heart, and numerous other ailments, the pension system should recognize that they are not able to work and most likely will not live very long after 65 years of age.
If the government insists on delaying the payment of OAS, that action should be accompanied by an expansion of the Guaranteed Income Supplement for people in the 60’s so those in poor health are not forced onto social assistance.
