PENSION WARS Target Benefit Plans and You
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SUMMER 2015 PRICE: $4.95 Dying well: The crisis in end-of-life care PAGE 12 Short cuts: Holidays close to home PAGE 21 Holidays on the quad: The next trend in travel PAGE 17 PENSION WARS Target benefit plans and you. PAGE 7 PM40065047 ASSOCIATION We’re defending retirees’ rights. YOU CAN HELP. Your Association is protecting your pensions and reduce pension benefits and eliminate indexation for pensioners benefits. But we can’t do it without your help. after they have retired. The federal government’s move to target benefit plans is aimed at federally-regulated employers and Crown corporations — for now. But target benefits plans could become a trend in Canada — which would entail big changes for federal employees and retirees. Employers should not be allowed to impose measures that affect pensions which employees have already earned. The coming federal election is our Association’s opportunity to speak out for pension protection and ask employers to honour the pension promises they’ve made. We’re calling our federal election campaign Honour Your Promise — an echo of the campaign we used to speak out against changes to the Public Service Health Care Plan. We are supported in this campaign by other veterans’ associations, seniors groups, unions and private sector pensioners. We need your support — now more than ever before. Many of you have contacted our national office to volunteer your help in the fight for your pensions and benefits, and we thank you. Many of you have offered to make a financial contribution to our legal fund and advocacy campaign. If you wish to contribute, please visit our website — www.federalretirees.ca — or call our national Many of you pitched in when you sent letters to your MPs and office at 1-855-304-4700. All contributions will be used to assist the signed petitions after the Treasury Board announced an increase Association with legal and advocacy campaign costs. to your Public Service Health Care Plan premiums. Despite our efforts, the federal government increased the retiree cost-sharing As a not-for-profit advocacy organization, we are only as strong ratio from 25 to 50 per cent. as our people. The larger our Association grows, the stronger our voice becomes — and the more effectively we can speak out for The National Association of Federal Retirees has directed the firm federal retirees. Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP to take the necessary legal action SPECIAL RATES to protect your rights and interests. A Notice of Application has Please encourage your friends to join our Association as we continue FOR ASSOCIATION MEMBERS been filed with the Federal Court of Canada on behalf of the to fight for your pensions and benefits. We also encourage you to Association and some of its members. contact our office — [email protected] or 1-855-304-4700 — and provide us with your email address so that we can keep you While we continue to oppose the changes to your PSHCP informed and equipped with tools you can use to help us in the fight contributions through legal channels, your Association is also to protect your retirement. mounting an advocacy campaign to strengthen political and public support for the protection of retiree pensions during the The National Association of Federal Retirees is not a charity, and we 2015 election campaign. are therefore unable to provide a tax receipt for your contribution. All orders of government, along with private sector employers, have been setting the stage for the implementation of target GARY OBERG benefit pension plans. These plans may allow employers to President, National Association of Federal Retirees SUMMER 2015 VOL. 6 SAGE I 3 ASSOCIATION 21 7 DEAR SAGE Keep those letters and emails coming, folks. Our mailing address is: National Association of Federal Retirees, 1052 St. Laurent Boulevard, Ottawa, ON, K1K 3B4 PUBLISHER Or you can email us at [email protected] Rosemary Pitfield Director, Advocacy and Communications EDITOR Doug Beazley CFO Congratulations on an excellent spring issue! It seems that your On page 13, there is another large picture of Trudeau, in an article John Butterfield survey last year must have identified that many Association on "strategic voting". This large piece could be seen as suggesting EDITORIAL COORDINATOR members like myself wanted a more interesting publication. Really, that "strategic voting" means that a person should vote Liberal, 17 Sayward Montague the transformation is almost unbelievable. Thank you very much, rather than NDP. CREATIVE CONSULTANT and please try to keep it going on the same track. Sally Douglas On page 16, in a piece entitled "Love in an Election Year", the couple CONTRIBUTORS — Regards, are seen reading books on the Conservatives and the Liberals. The 12 Alan Freeman, Sharon Kirkey, Elizabeth Thompson, Alice Musabende, Mike Bruce, Sue McGarvie Christopher Morris NDP is nowhere to be seen. Association member CONTENTS TRANSLATION SERVICES Such purposeful propaganda agendas are meant to suggest to Alice Musabende the reader that the Liberals are the only alternative to Harper's GRAPHIC DESIGN Conservatives. Living in a riding where the NDP has been the A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT GET BACK THAT LOVIN’ FEELING Two Blonde Chicks Inc. Design + Marketing Group 3 28 opposition to the Conservatives for many years, it is truly the NDP GARY OBERG Is your libido crashing? Take steps. COVER ART I am a federal retiree and, of course, receive Sage magazine. SUE MCGARVIE Patrick Corrigan In the spring edition, you focused on "How marketing is driving that has the best chance to defeat the Conservatives in this area. 5 DEAR SAGE PHOTOGRAPHY the 2015 Election". Even though I believe that "strategic voting" is not the panacea that 29 HEART HEALTH AND YOU Matthew Usherwood some think it is, it is an immense error for Sage to print a spring THE COMING WAR OVER As a committed New Democrat, I am constantly angered by 7 Heart disease is one of the leading PRINTING edition with an obvious bias towards Trudeau over Mulcair. RETIREMENT killers of Canadian women. Learn the St. Joseph Print Group many media outlets who seem to go out of their way to describe Public and private sector employers are warning signs. the federal Liberal party as the "opposition" to the Harper By the way, there is no such thing as the "NDP Party". It is called the taking a long look at target benefit pension Letters to the Editor or to contact the National Conservatives. I see this on a regular basis, where Mulcair is all but "New Democratic Party", not the "New Democratic Party Party". plans. Retirees should worry. ALAN FREEMAN ASK THE PHARMACIST Association of Federal Retirees: 31 ignored and Trudeau is highlighted as the best alternative to Harper. What’s in your medicine cabinet? 613.745.2559 (toll-free 1.855.304.4700) — Dick Harrington 12 A QUESTION OF DEATH AND LIFE Let’s review. 1052 St. Laurent Boulevard, Ottawa ON K1K 3B4 Must I remind you and other media outlets that it is the NDP who Chilliwack, B.C. Canadians are having a debate about [email protected] are the "Official Opposition" and that it is Thomas Mulcair — not assisted death. They may be talking about 32 ASK THE HEALTH OFFICER the wrong thing. SHARON KIRKEY Sage Magazine is produced under license. Justin Trudeau — who is the "Official Opposition" leader? I know ASK THE PENSION OFFICER Publication # 40065047 from over forty years of political and marketing experience that the 33 It is clear that you and everyone else responsible for the publication 17 HOLIDAYS ON THE QUAD ISSN 2292-7166 "media is the message" and that most Canadians are extremely of this edition of Sage magazine are Liberals. The strategic voting It’s the best-kept secret in the travel ASK THE VETERANS OFFICER 34 Return undeliverable copies to: gullible when it comes to being influenced by such reports. A case business — inexpensive lodgings in article was outrageous. How dare you use this Association magazine Sage Magazine, 17 York Street, Suite 201 in point is your spring edition, where you give much more copy to some of the world’s greatest universities. ADVOCACY IN ACTION to promote your agenda of encouraging the membership to vote out 35 Ottawa ON K1N 9J6 Trudeau than you do to Mulcair. It began on page 4, where Trudeau's ELIZABETH THOMPSON Summer is the season — for politics. the Conservatives? For information on advertising in Sage, please contact: picture is shown — but nothing on Mulcair. You do have a small SHORT CUTS 21 36 ASSOCIATION NEWS Reid Savein: 416.898.9299 | [email protected] picture of Mulcair on page 7 — the only example of his picture in The Association has many members who are proud Conservatives This year, skip the jet lag. Your next great your whole edition. On the very next page, there is a larger picture and take great offence. I am one of them. vacation destination could be just around To become a preferred partner of the National 38 BRANCH ANNOUNCEMENTS of Trudeau, in a feature article entitled "The Hard Sell". There is a the corner. ALICE MUSABENDE Association of Federal Retirees, contact Rosemary — Ron Seabrook Pitfield at 613.745.2559 large picture of Harper on page 9 and an accompanying piece on 46 IN MEMORIAM 26 TAKING THE HASSLE OUT Harper's attempt (at) "rebooting his relationship with veterans." OF TRAVEL Cover price $4.95 per issue Member subscription is $5.40 per year, What you should do before you pack a bag. included in Association membership Non-member subscription is $14.80 per year 27 BUILDING A BETTER YOU Non-members contact National Association Summer’s around the corner.