The federal government has announced that it will continue consultations on pension reform through a series of town hall meetings across Canada.  The government has posed the following ten questions as the basis for its consultation:

• What are the main issues and challenges that Canadians face in saving for retirement?
• What is the appropriate role of governments in supporting Canadians to achieve adequate retirement income?
• Does the retirement income system currently have the appropriate mix of public and private support?
• Are changes needed to further strengthen Canada’s retirement income system?
• Should there be more mandatory retirement savings?
• Should individuals be auto-enrolled in any new voluntary savings program?
• Should increased savings, whether mandatory or voluntary, be locked-in for retirement purposes only?
• Should there be more flexibility and choice with respect to private savings options?
• How would the approaches described impact you personally and/or your business?
• How should any changes to the retirement income system be financed?

Interested parties may also participate in the consultation process online or by sending written submissions by e-mail to [email protected].

For more information on pension reform in Canada, please see Heenan Blaikie’s Pension Pulse “Three Pillars: Ten Questions–Federal Government Continues Consultations on Pension Reform”.