Factional Fight Over Seizure and Control of Pension Funds for Private Gain
Alberta Federation of
Labour, October 7, 2023
Active and retired workers and their organizations in Alberta have been speaking out and organizing against the attempts of the United Conservative Party (UCP) government to convince the working people of Alberta that they should allow Premier Danielle Smith to, in her own words, get her hands on the "pot of money" of pension contributions from workers who have lived or worked in Alberta. Her claim is that Alberta workers would be more secure in retirement if an Alberta Pension Plan replaced the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).
Getting the workers to side with one or the other is problematic when the federal government itself is using the Canada Pension Fund to further the narrow private interests it serves. Neither gives a hoot about the well-being of retired Canadians who must take up the fight for pensions for all from their own vantage point. Getting caught up in a debate pro or con this or that plan serves to legitimize different ways of administering pensions funds so that the vast amounts of money they contain can be put at the disposal of narrow private interests in the name of the greater good.
In
the case of the Alberta government of Danielle Smith, the claim
is for
purposes of better integrating Alberta's economy which is
heavily
dependent on oil and gas extraction into the U.S. war economy.
The
effort to put CPP funds from workers in Alberta in provincial
hands
reflects the fierce
contention between competing global cartels and coalitions which
control the economy and dictate its direction. It also reflects
the
fact that contention between filthy rich private interests can
no
longer be sorted out through a democratic process and federal
arrangements entered into when
conditions were very different. These arrangements no longer
serve to
sort out differences between contending factions to reach a
balance
which is seen to serve the public good.
The Alberta Federation of Labour has initiated a petition campaign to say Hands Off Our Pensions! Tens of thousands of individuals and organizations have tried to join the telephone "town halls" to express their views, written letters, and made phone calls to their MLAs to say No! Far from being convinced by the claim that Alberta workers would be more secure in retirement if an Alberta Pension Plan replaced the Canada Pension Plan, workers have responded by saying NO!
The consistent stand of Alberta workers through all the attacks launched by one government after the other, no matter what political party was in power, has been Defend the Pensions We Have! Fight for Pensions for All! Workers consider it the responsibility of all working people to ensure that society looks after its seniors with the respect and humanity they deserve, ensuring their security and a dignified life in retirement.
This article was published in
Volume 53
Number 12 - December 2023
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2023/Articles/M530124.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca