Candidate or Party Position
Organizers of the upcoming TV "party leader debates" have been soliciting questions from the electorate for possible use in these debates. Given the probable numbers of question submitted clearly a large number will never see the light of day.
Of several submitted by the Canadian Federation of Pensioners, it would be especially interesting if these two did make it on to the debate agenda.
- Will you and your party enact all necessary legislation to ensure that any solvency deficit in a registered defined-benefit pension plan has priority creditor status under all circumstances including going concern, plan termination, distressed plan negotiations, restructuring of business (CCAA), and bankruptcy (BIA)?
- In what timeframe would your party be prepared to enact legislation to significantly elevate the creditor status of pensioners under CCAA/BIA over what they have now: 1 year, 2 years, or 3 years?
If you should happen to attend a candidate meeting in your riding, these same questions might prove to be an interesting challenge for the candidate.
It is reported that a number of pensioners have made use of the "electorate polls" being conducted over the telephones. In responding to the typical questions of "will you be voting for candidate XXX" in the upcoming election, and "are you a supporter of the XXX party" their standard response is that they have not yet made up their mind. They then go on to indicate they are disappointed that the XXX party has not acted to protect private sector defined benefit pension plans in bankruptcy/insolvency situations. Perhaps if enough seeds are planted, one will take root.
