TORONTO – Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says he wants a federal-provincial summit to talk about ways of guaranteeing seniors an adequate retirement income.
McGuinty dismissed a call from Ontario’s New Democrats to create a provincial pension plan to help the two-thirds of people who don’t have a workplace pension.
However, he told the legislature it’s something the province would consider if the federal government refuses to take action.
The premier said if Ottawa fails to tackle the issue then obviously it would fall back to the provinces to see what they might do.
McGuinty says he personally asked Prime Minister Stephen Harper to host a national summit to develop measures that will ensure seniors enjoy a decent retirement income.
He says most premiers agree this must be tackled at the national level, even though British Columbia and Alberta have mused about setting up their own provincial plans.
Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan is raising the pensions issue with his provincial and federal counterparts at a meeting in Meech Lake, Quebec.
