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Canada:
Tories Introduce Bill on Forced Retirement Would
Let Seniors Work Past 65 May 30, 2003 Ontario - The
provincial government took steps yesterday to end mandatory retirement at
age 65. The move, first
announced by the government in its April 30 throne speech and repeated in
the party's election platform, is welcomed by seniors groups but has met
opposition from some employers and unions. "Our
government will keep its promise and allow more seniors to remain active
in the workforce, retiring at a time of their own choosing and not
automatically at age 65," Premier Ernie Eves told reporters
yesterday. Ontario has no
law that forces workers to retire at 65. But the Ontario Human Rights Code
allows people to bring complaints of age discrimination in employment
matters only if they are between the ages of 18 and 64. As a result,
workers forced out the door at 65 by company policies or collective
agreements have no protection. In introducing
the new legislation, Citizenship Minister Carl DeFaria said forcing people
into retirement before they are ready could deprive the workforce of
valuable employees. "It robs
our economy of skilled workers, and it denies seniors the opportunity to
continue contributing to our economy," DeFaria told the Legislature. After
discussions with employers and unions, the Conservatives have agreed that
their legislation would not reopen existing collective agreements that
include mandatory retirement provisions. Liberal MPP
Gerry Phillips questioned the government's commitment to seniors in the
province, pointing out that Liberal attempts to introduce the very same
legislation has been rejected twice by the Tory majority in the
Legislature. MPP Mike Colle
"tried twice to get a piece of legislation passed here in the House.
But what's changed? Well, there's an election coming. So the government
has decided they are going to do their polling and find a way to pick some
of the ideas that people like Mr. Colle have had and put them into their
platform," Phillips said of the Liberal member for Eglinton-Lawrence.
Judy Cutler, of
the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, says her organization's
250,000 Ontario members view yesterday's bill as a victory after years of
advocacy on this issue. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
