Never let it be said that Canadians are not a diverse and energetic population when it comes to expressing personal points of view on a range of different topics.  This is something that I welcome, as it indicates to me that people are engaged in the discussion of how we can build a better country. Recently I covered the topic of a proposal for the Glacier Discovery Walkway project in Jasper National Park.   The intent of my report was not to ask citizens to support or oppose that project but rather to clarify what was being proposed in response to inquiries from constituents. In the days that followed, I heard from citizens who are very strongly in favour of the project and from those who believe there should be no public amenities whatsoever in national parks.

Recently another topic that I am hearing a diverse range of opinions about pertains to the subject of pensions. Currently there are concerns being expressed to me by many public sector employees regarding the future of their pension plans. At the same time I am also hearing from taxpayers with concerns about the costs of public sector pension plans, as well as the costs of pension plans for Members of Parliament. There has been much speculation recently in the media that there may be pending changes to pensions within the public sector. Currently our Government is looking at all forms of public sector spending in order to find efficiencies and savings without raising your taxes. At this point, all options are being considered. I will state for the record that should changes be proposed to the MP pension plan that is more respectful of the taxpayer I will fully support such initiatives. I will note that individuals in the public service pay into and earn them; however contributions and benefits must be fair to the taxpayers who help fund them.

My office also receives on a regular basis questions from many citizens about the different programs that the Federal Government administers, like the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS).  For your information, here are a few points about these programs:

 The CPP is generally funded equally by you and your employer during your working years. CPP can provide benefits for loss of income created by disability or retirement. The benefits are ultimately calculated by how much you have contributed and over what length of time. Currently the maximum CPP retirement pension amount is just under $ 1000 monthly at age 65. You can start collecting CPP as early as 60 or as late as 70 however different rates would apply. In contrast OAS provides a modest pension to most Canadians at age 65, if you have lived in Canada for at least 10 years.  For the record, federal Liberal bill 428 that proposed lowering the 10 year residency requirement was not passed by Parliament. The maximum OAS payment is just under $ 550 monthly for those individuals with 40 years or more of residency after their eighteenth birthday. Seniors with earnings in excess of roughly $ 70,000 per year will gradually receive a lesser OAS benefit that ultimately is eliminated for an income in excess of $ 112,000 a year.

The GIS is specifically for lower income seniors 65 and older with an income of roughly $ 16,000 annually or less. If you have questions for any of the above programs you can contact Service Canada toll free at 1-800-622-6232 for further information.

While these three programs are generally well known, they certainly aren’t the only ones that the Federal Government administers as part of a broader social safety net. In fact, 60% of the money that is spent at the Federal level is in transfers which go direct to individuals or the provinces for their use. With increasing demographic pressures coupled with the backdrop of a fragile economic recovery, the one thing we can count on is a robust discussion of our options, as we look to do our part in the building of a better Canada.

I will never know what public office would have been like prior to the Internet, however I am quickly learning that online information is something that needs to be scrutinized very carefully. Over this past weekend I was made aware of claims that the Jasper National park was soon to be privatized and had been sold to an International company.  Further this international company planned on charging all park users an entrance fee in order to help finance large scale private development within the park.   Fairly serious claims and fortunately none of them are true. This type of misinformation seems to be occurring on a more frequent basis within certain segments of the online internet community.

I would like to thank those citizens who were sceptical of such claims and forwarded this misinformation to me for further clarification that I am more than happy to provide. What is really occurring is that Parks Canada, back in 2010, initiated a public consultation process to identify a vision for the Icefields Parkway. The goal is to increase learning opportunities and enhance the abilities for park visitors to enjoy the environment and gain insights into the regions ecological and cultural heritage. Brewster, a company who has for many years operated the unique “ice explorer” buses in the area, has proposed to add a new feature to the well known Ice field glacier adventure. The new feature being discussed is a glacial discovery walk, complete with a handicapped accessible 400 meter interpretive boardwalk featuring a glass-floored observation platform extended 30 meters over the Sunwapta Valley below.

Cleary some individuals will not be supportive of this type of a feature within the Jasper National park not unlike those who opposed the introduction of motorized ice explores  when they were first introduced over thirty years ago. However since that time over 10 million visitors have utilized the increased access to better understand and enjoy the unique learning opportunities of the ice fields.    Many local citizens and tourists the world over have also at one time or another travelled in an ice explorer and can recall many fond memories of that unique experience. Regardless of supporting or opposing increased public amenities in public parks any suggestion that Jasper National Park is being sold or that mass scale development is occurring is patently false. It should also be noted that park user fees remain at the sole responsibility of Parks Canada. In reality when and where private services are offered in public parks those revenues are typically used to offset park operating costs ensuring that actual park users pay an additional share over and above average Canadian taxpayers.

It was not my intention this week to cover the Jasper National Park in my weekly MP report as there are more localized concerns I had intended to discuss. However with such a strong level of misinformation on the topic and many local citizens asking for clarification I felt it was important to relay to the citizens of Okanagan Coquihalla that Parks Canada is not selling parks as some have wrongly suggested.   As the House of Commons will not sit again until the end of the month on January 30th I would be interested in hearing from you. If you have time for a meeting or even a phone to relay your concerns I encourage you to contact me to schedule an appointment.   I can be reached at 250-770-4480 or toll free at 1-800-665-8711