Quebec considering raise in retirement age to 62

Quebec City -

For those planning to retire, it could soon take a little longer in Quebec.

Consultations have begun into what should be the minimum eligibility age for the Quebec Pension Plan, but labour groups in Quebec are already raising concerns after the province said it is thinking of raising the retirement age from 60 to 62.

"What we are proposing — and it's for consultation right now — starting at 62 years old, you can get a part of your pension with a big penalty," said Quebec Premier François Legault Wednesday.

To get a full pension, the age of retirement is 65. Currently, Quebecers can retire as early as 60, but with a penalty.

Hearings into the pension plan have to be done every six years. Quebec is still in a labour shortage, but a study from BMO published this week found only 44 per cent of Canadians say they have enough money to retire.

There are concerns about those who feel they can't wait until 62.

"Let's think of workers who work on roofs, changing the shingles on the roof at 40 degrees celsuis in the summertime," said Gisele Tasse-Goodman, president of the seniors' organizations FADOQ.

"This is difficult for a person when they age."

Magali Picard, the newly-elected president of the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ), Quebec’s largest union, said it's not an option for some workers to keep working until 62.

"It's hard for them to stay until 60, so why are we doing that? I don't have the answer," Picard said.

Quebec solidaire (QS) presented a motion to keep the eligibility age at 60, but it was rejected.

Unlike in France, where strikes are happening because President Emmanuel Macron insists an age change is necessary to keep the funds in the black, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois says Quebec's pension plan is in good health.

"If it ain't broke don't fix it. Don't try to find solutions to a problem that [doesn't] exist," said the QS spokesperson.

The QS and the Parti Québécois are proposing cutting the tax rate for a portion of income as an incentive for older workers to stay on the job.

Quebec`s finance minister said his mind isn't made up yet on the change, but it is possible some workers might have to end up with two extra years on the job.