So bad it might pass
Dhalla's OAS entitlement bill puts politics before common sense
Last Updated: April 12, 2010 2:00am
Such a bill is C-428, proposed by Ruby Dhalla (of alleged harassed nannies fame), Liberal MP for Brampton. She would reduce from 10 years to three the time an elderly immigrant would have to wait to claim Old Age Security (OAS) or Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS).
Dhalla’s audacious bill can be justified in that she represents a riding replete with many of East Indian origin who’d love to bring aging kinfolk to Canada to reap old age benefits after three years.
Distressing to some is that Bob Rae seconded Ruby’s outrageous bill and gave it instant credibility it didn’t deserve. The ever-preppy turncoat NDP provincial premier now has his eye on being federal Liberal leader and springboarding to the prime ministership.
Rae’s ambitions never fade. He’s the one most likely to inherit Michael Ignatieff’s job, should Iggy get bored with Liberals, or the Liberal Party gets fed up with him. Rae may yet get a chance to do to Canada what he did to Ontario as its premier.
In any event, Dhalla’s bill to reduce the eligibility wait for OAS entitlement from 10 to three years will escalate costs and reduce the amount pensioners should receive. Already, the system is hard-pressed to prevent old gaffers from actually losing ground as the economy struggles and baby boomers grow older.
RCMP and Canadian Forces personnel are acutely aware they’re already scapegoated in having Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) benefits merged rather than stacked, and that the government “claws back” indexed benefits at age 65 — which they’d never dare doing to MPs benefits, which are exempted.
Everyone suffers financially if OAS and GIS are diluted. Ruby Dhalla doesn’t care — not her concern. Getting re-elected is her priority.
No one opposes the bringing of aging relatives to Canada, but not at the cost of adulterating already generous OAS requirements to three years. If the elderly migrate here, let families look after them until the 10-year standard is met.
There’s no indication the Harper government will give in on this issue, but you never know. Ruby Dhalla still wants more apologizing and grovelling for what is known as the Komagata Maru incident.
Komagata Maru incident? What the hell is that, you ask? Well, it was a ship hired in 1914 to take some 370 Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims to Canada. Passengers were prevented from landing at Vancouver, and the ship was sent back to India.
At Calcutta, six months later, passengers rebelled at being moved to shore camps, shots were fired and some 20 were killed. That was called the Budge Budge incident. It involved Brits, not Canadians. It was decided the ship was loaded with Ghadar party people agitating for independence.
Harper has already apologized a couple of times for the Indians being rejected at Vancouver, even though most Canadians haven’t a clue why an apology is necessary, much less why today’s government and taxpayers should pay compensation for something that happened long ago that only history books remember.
Of course it isn’t necessary — it’s more politics for votes that the Tories don’t deserve and won’t get.
Instead, Ruby may grow in popularity. Maybe Bob Rae, too. Ugh.

