Demographic Changes Affecting Our Pensions
Our Canadian retirement system contains three pillars, focusing on providing all members of Canadian society with a minimum and guaranteed standard of living for retirement, throughdirect transfers to help the working poor (first pillar) to Canada Pension Plan payments through mandatory monthly deductions (second pillar) funding current retirees and through taxdeductions offered via Canadians’ private savings (third pillar). Yet, with the baby boom generation presently retiring, and the current workforce positively shrinking, how will our monthly paycheck deductions towards Canada Public Pension payments be affected? Did you know that when you are born in 1985, you receive approximately $0.70 in retirement back from the government for every $1 contribution made from your current paycheck, and $0.60 back for every $1 contribution if born in 1995? These demographic changes are negatively affecting the future returns of our Canada Public Pension payments, despite a +$150 billion Canada Pension Plan Investment fund and the other two pillars of the Canadianretirement system. Either one improves the second pillar as it is, affecting the other two pillars, or one completely replaces that system with alternative options. This presentation will focus on the alternative options available and what can be done to mitigate the negative effects of the present demographic changes affecting the status of our Canada Public Pensions.