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The Liberal government has declined to listen to the advice of its own economic advisory council on retirement age. Perhaps the Liberals might be more willing to listen to one of its ideological soul mates, someone who shares its views on the use of deficits to boost economic growth. Someone like Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the IMF.

The federal Liberals’ Advisory Council on Economic Growth had already emphasized the importance of eliminating disincentives for older Canadians to keep working, in order to help growth. It recommended that the ages of eligibility for Old Age Security (OAS) and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) be recalibrated and increased to meet the reality of an aging society and a considerably longer life expectancy. The council noted this action would follow the worldwide trend, as many other OECD countries have taken this step to make their public pension systems more fiscally sustainable. It was no surprise the Liberals swiftly rejected the recommendation. When the Liberals took power, they reversed the policy of the previous government to gradually increase the age of eligibility for OAS benefits from 65 to 67.