HALIFAX - Atlantic Canadians continue to strongly back moves to increase Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits as the best way to help Canadians save more for retirement.
That’s according to regional results of an Environics poll commissioned by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
Atlantic highlights from the CUPE/Environics national survey of 1,000 Canadians completed earlier in January include:
- 83 per cent support increased CPP contributions and benefits (national result 75 per cent);
- 62 per cent oppose the recent Harper government decision to delay CPP improvements in favour of a private pooled RRSP scheme (national result 50 per cent);
- 86 per cent agree increasing CPP benefits should be the first priority for governments to improve retirement security for all Canadians (national result 80 per cent); and
- 59 per cent believe governments are moving too slowly to deal with changes to CPP (national result 48 per cent).
CUPE Nova Scotia President Danny Cavanagh says, “Here in Atlantic Canada, we have among the highest support in the country for reforming CPP. Those efforts have been stymied by the Alberta government’s opposition to a CPP boost—a position that Albertans reject by a two to one margin, according to a companion CUPE/Environics poll. The Alberta government is completely out of step with its own citizens.”
“These figures should buoy the efforts of the Nova Scotia government and others to achieve a national agreement to raise CPP,” Cavanagh says.
The regional results have an 8.8 per cent error margin, but are consistent with the findings of a larger survey undertaken by Environics and CUPE late last year.
For more information, please contact:
Danny Cavanagh
President, CUPE Nova Scotia
(902) 957-0822 (cell)
John McCracken
CUPE Communications Representative
(902) 455-4180