NDP MP urges old age benefits for new immigrants

[JakeYYZ]

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/08/29/nd ... immigrants

OTTAWA - Possible federal NDP leadership hopeful Libby Davies has revived a highly controversial effort to eliminate the 10-year residency requirement to qualify for old age pension benefits.

The Vancouver MP has introduced a motion calling on the government to open the federal pension to recent immigrants who've made few, if any, contributions into Canada's state pension system.

That could also grant new arrivals access to the guaranteed income supplement.

Libby Davies has qualifications the NDP will have a hard time to pass over for leadership. She's female, she's lesbian and she was chosen by Layton as one of his deputy leaders...Libby for Leader!!..Plus, all that extra cash that keeps falling out your pocket..Libby can help you with that.

[Prairie Chicken]

Nah, regardless of how qualified (NDP wise) she may be in her beliefs, she is unilingual English. A leader must speak both our national languages.

[cgzro]

"Socialism is a wonderful system until you run out of other people's money"
- Margret Thatcher.

"Socialism is a wonderful system until other people's money runs out on you"
- Me

[robertsailor1]

Typical NDP chatter. Cops, teachers and Union activists are the core of this party, not that there is anything wrong with that but very few have any business sense.
I remember years ago when we had the NDP basket of chicken..you opened it up and there was nothing but left wings and assholes.

[JakeYYZ]

Nah, regardless of how qualified (NDP wise) she may be in her beliefs, she is unilingual English. A leader must speak both our national languages.

I have it on good authority that SHE is fluent in gibberish and has half a brain.. Surely that’s a ‘qualifier’.............

[Siddley Hawker]

I have it on good authority that SHE is fluent in gibberish and has half a brain..

Thanks Jake, I gotta remember that one.

[Inverted2]

Don't worry, the NDP socialists will be on a downward slide from here on. Taliban Jack was the NDP and he is now gone. I can't believe twits like this so called woman actually get elected.

[Beefitarian]

I'm all for helping out the poor at the risk of paying out scammers but @#$! this. Welfare because you're old, poor and useless then immigrated here maybe.

[2R]

No need to import more freeloaders.Canada has enough spongers and freeloaders.

[azimuthaviation]

Maybe think why they are offering this? Do you think its some sort of benevolence of the part of the NDP on the taxpayers dime? What possible reason would they offer it? What sense would it make? Economically? Or politically knowing how well that would go over with those who have to foot the bill?


The reason they are waiving this is because whatever they invest, we get back ten times over. Been to any hospital lately? half the doctors are foreign, who else (ask even among yourselves) has money to invest in business or into the economy? What do you expect to intice foreign brain power and capital? "Come to Canada, bring your money, bring your knowledge, save us the cost of years of education infrastructure, give it to us, and leave your parents to fend for themselves in the old country, we cant utilise them."

Get real, people dont go into politics with shallow, short sighted views like those Im reading from here. And they definitely dont go into politics in order to give something without gaining something back, look who youre talking about.

I have some elderly relatives who arrived in recent years, some in their sixties. One is the father of three sons who came from Lebanon in their twenties and each run their own business and have up to twenty people working for them, they sponsored their parents to come. Now what do you think immigration said? "No go to Dubai, or Australia, or West Africa or somewhere else, take your money and go hire people there?" ya right. Another relative is a doctor, when her parents got old she brought them here, and of course immigration agreed, maybe even gave them both a pension I dont know. Im sure some of you would rather she be forced to leave rather than her and her parents come here. And you can explain to your kids why they had to wait 14 hours for stitches, or why their grandmother died waiting to get bypass surgery after a heart attack.

[Beefitarian]

And you can explain to your kids why they had to wait 14 hours for stitches, or why their grandmother died waiting to get bypass surgery after a heart attack.

Because we fired the nice lebonese doctor so we could afford the pensions for the sudden influx of old white american immigrants.

[Shiny Side Up]

Another relative is a doctor, when her parents got old she brought them here, and of course immigration agreed, maybe even gave them both a pension I dont know. Im sure some of you would rather she be forced to leave rather than her and her parents come here.

You got a strange bit of logic going on here. Why would she be forced to leave if her parents when they came over couldn't get a pension soon as they set foot in this Country? She is a Doctor after all, I'm having trouble seeing where this family needs more financial assistance. Are her parents coming over here completely peniless and unable to afford to live here? How do they afford to live where they currently reside? To work I have to live away from my parents, I'm not going to stop working if they can't come live where I'm at to make my life easy, nor is the government going to give them money to do so either.

Come to Canada, bring your money, bring your knowledge, save us the cost of years of education infrastructure, give it to us, and leave your parents to fend for themselves in the old country, we cant utilise them.

You make it sound like Canada gives people nothing in return for comming here. I suppose in your mind there's no advantage in the low taxes, the healthcare, the better jobs and - probably most important - the peace. Nothing stopping people from bringing their old folks, but I don't see where we got to bend over backwards to make it easier. There are plenty of immigrant pensioners in the country already and they seem to be doing just fine - or one would assume that they're doing better than where they came from or they'd be heading back. Canada already beats the hell out of 99% of the rest of the world to live in, do we really need to be giving more incentive to come here? You're telling me that someone won't try to bring their old folks over from a warzone because they ain't going to get a government cheque when they get here? Please.

[. ._]

I love the NDP, but sometimes their heads are in the clouds.

When that happens, they get the big 'ol facepalm.

[straightpilot]

the NDP, ... sometimes their heads are in the clouds

Sometimes their heads are someplace else, but given the lack of experience that many of them suffer from, it's really not surprising.

In addition to simply being 18 years old, to be eligible to run as an MP, someone should have to have at least one or two years real-world experience as an employee of, or preferably running a business in the private sector.

[Expat]

Once an immigrant is in, and becomes a citizen, he should be entitled to the benefits all enjoy, no?

[cdnpilot77]

Once an immigrant is in, and becomes a citizen, he should be entitled to the benefits all enjoy, no?

Healthcare and education, yes...welfare and pensions (ie: a cheque in hand each month for doing nothing and having never paid in) absolutely unequivocally not!!! 10years should always be a minimum unless they have been working and paying in like every other citizen that was born and raised here, worked and paid taxes. At least in 10years they would have hopefully purchased items and paid taxes on them. Further to that, I think there should be more accountability and restriction in terms of how much money a pensioner can send back home. How many people would come over, start collecting old age pensions and send a large percentage of it back to their home country? I am guessing it would be relatively high. We give enough foreign aid we dont need to start supplementing individual families around the world too.

Azimuth, why are your parents/grandparents entitled to my money? What have they done to earn it? Some people get so blinded by the good life our country can provide, we give them the inch and they want, or worse yet expect, 1000miles.

[azimuthaviation]

Azimuth, why are your parents/grandparents entitled to my money?

You must be crazy if you think anyone in my family needs your money.

You got a strange bit of logic going on here. Why would she be forced to leave if her parents when they came over couldn't get a pension soon as they set foot in this Country

Because she wants to be with her family, either she goes there or they come here. The government didnt want her to leave (enough Canadian doctors are already working overseas) so they agreed to let her parents in, and dont think it was a magnanmous gesture on the part of Immigration.

[cdnpilot77]

Azimuth, why are your parents/grandparents entitled to my money?

You must be crazy if you think anyone in my family needs your money.

Really, because yesterday you said this...

Another relative is a doctor, when her parents got old she brought them here, and of course immigration agreed, maybe even gave them both a pension I dont know. Im sure some of you would rather she be forced to leave rather than her and her parents come here.

You dont even know if your relatives are collecting my money and the person who sponsors them is a Doctor, so why should they be entitled to my money? Have the Doctor "Sponsor" them just as the word suggests. Why does Canada HAVE to be a charity, especially for the ones who do not need it?

[robertsailor1]

These retirement programs were not designed to be part of our immigration policies. They were designed for people that had worked most of their lives in Canada and paid taxes for most of their lives. Even though no one has paid enough taxes to make up for the increased lifespans. It wasn't that long ago that most people retired at 65 and were dead by 70-75. We are already highly taxed and our taxes can not pay for the services that are in place so its crazy to be adding more costs and benefits to people that are not in a position to give anything substantial back.

[North Shore]

In addition to simply being 18 years old, to be eligible to run as an MP, someone should have to have at least one or two years real-world experience as an employee of, or preferably running a business in the private sector.

Why should working for a private sector business be a prerequisite? Could I go and work for McDonalds, and use that as my experience? What advantage does that experience confer on a person?

[straightpilot]

This is a conceptual problem. A government job should not be an excuse to indefinitely and unproductively sponge off the taxpayer, although sadly that's often how they are treated.

The supposed purpose of the government is to regulate and administrate the private sector, for the benefit of the citizenry. If the people in charge of this have no knowledge of the private sector, well, they're probably not going to do a very good job.

Let's say you didn't know anything about sailboats. Would you then consider yourself competent and qualified to be a captain of a sailboat?

Let's say you were an 18 year old first year university student. Would you consider yourself competent and qualified to participate in enacting the federal legislation of the country?

If you answer "yes" to either of the above examples, please video your life and upload the good bits to youtube for the entertainment of the rest of us.

[winds_in_flight_wtf]

Once an immigrant is in, and becomes a citizen, he should be entitled to the benefits all enjoy, no?

Healthcare and education, yes...welfare and pensions (ie: a cheque in hand each month for doing nothing and having never paid in) absolutely unequivocally not!!! 10years should always be a minimum unless they have been working and paying in like every other citizen that was born and raised here, worked and paid taxes. At least in 10years they would have hopefully purchased items and paid taxes on them. Further to that, I think there should be more accountability and restriction in terms of how much money a pensioner can send back home. How many people would come over, start collecting old age pensions and send a large percentage of it back to their home country? I am guessing it would be relatively high. We give enough foreign aid we dont need to start supplementing individual families around the world too.

Azimuth, why are your parents/grandparents entitled to my money? What have they done to earn it? Some people get so blinded by the good life our country can provide, we give them the inch and they want, or worse yet expect, 1000miles.

I second this. I want an answer to the same question. I do not care what your skin color, religion, sex, etc is. I want to know why a citizen of another country is entitled .... (keyword) , "ENTITLED" to dollars forwarded by the Canadian Tax Payer? Please explain this to me? We have elderly in this country who gave their lives working a minimum wage job - why do we not take care of them first? i hate referring to the "left" vs "right" wing bias, but this is what I call extremist left. I would love for Mr. Layton's followers to set the example, and give up 20% of what they make next year to an elderly Chinese immigrant , who does not even speak English and adds nothing but a populous figure at statscan. Please by all means NDP ... set the example for us. Imagine if Canada did not restrict the amount of Doctors immigrating to Canada? Use your brains.

These retirement programs were not designed to be part of our immigration policies. They were designed for people that had worked most of their lives in Canada and paid taxes for most of their lives. Even though no one has paid enough taxes to make up for the increased lifespans. It wasn't that long ago that most people retired at 65 and were dead by 70-75. We are already highly taxed and our taxes can not pay for the services that are in place so its crazy to be adding more costs and benefits to people that are not in a position to give anything substantial back.

Absolutely. Great post. The system was setup to take care of Canadians who have contributed their lives to this great country. This does not mean Mr. ______ or Mrs. ______ are second class citizens, but they should respect and understand the principles of the country they are immigrating to. This is not rocket science, on the contrary it is common sense. This free ride NDP bullshit just gets nauseating .

[Wilbur]

It matters little what the NDP blabbers on about. Even with Layton at the helm they would disintigrate before the next election, and without him they will soon be exposed for the union controlled fools they are. The Liberals, on the other hand, will rise like a Pheonix from the ashes. The only frightening prospect is that the famously mercenary Liberals will latch onto any idea, no matter how irresponsible, if they think it will buy them a few votes. Free money for elderly immigrants will certainly buy plenty of votes from entire extended families. Think about it, for only about 12 thousand dollars a year you can buy two votes from the pensioners, another 1/2 dozen from the kids and spouses who no longer have to provide as much financial support for their parents, and probably another 10 to 20 from the grand kids. Thats only about $500 per vote and a screaming deal by Liberal standards.

[JakeYYZ]

AA, learn to quote properly. You have erroneously ascribed to Expat a statement that he did not make.

I make no secret about my opposition to family reunification, which theoretically provides compassionate sponsorship of relatives abroad, but in reality is a huge strain on our slowly strangulating social services net. At best, it’s little more than a subsidized daycare program, as immigrant parents sponsor their elderly relatives to come and watch the kids while they go to work. In my opinion, there is no value added. I do not consider babysitting as ‘value added’. There should be no permanent admittance entertained. Any medical (which is not legal, at the moment) should remain the responsibility of the family sponsor.

AA, how did you manage to gain Canadian Citizenship?

[azimuthaviation]

AA, how did you manage to gain Canadian Citizenship?

Being born a fourth generation Canadian helped.