We were inspired in December by the leadership of two Gen Squeeze supporters, Brian and Annalee Schnurr.

As members of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP), Brian and Annalee reached out to CARP President Anthony Quinn about Gen Squeeze's Old Age Security reform proposals. As their letter below shows, they suggested that a meeting between the two organizations would be an important opportunity to look for common ground on how to update OAS. 

We certainly agree, and shared our eagerness to take part in such an exchange. We know that effort to modernize Canada's retirement policies would only be strengthened by people working together to bring forward shared ideas to decision-makers.

Unfortunately, the Schnurr's suggestion has (so far) been rejected by CARP. We remain hopeful that growing retiree support for reforming OAS will eventually convince CARP to engage with us - and with Brian and Annalee, as allies of both organizations. The Schnurr's are not alone in encouraging constructive dialogue between CARP and Gen Squeeze. Other older members of our community are also reaching out to CARP to share their concerns about the outdated design of OAS. Read this recent guest blog for an example.   

Our sincere thanks to Brian and Annalee for being leaders in change making on behalf of all generations of Canadians!

Mr. Anthony Quinn,

President, CARP.

Dear Mr. Quinn:

We are proud members of both CARP and Generation Squeeze. And we see absolutely no contradiction in these coexisting memberships. We support and value CARP advocating for seniors, especially those in financial and/or health care need. Also, we recognize the urgency for reform to OAS as proposed by Generation Squeeze. These goals of CARP and Generation Squeeze are completely compatible.

We are a perfect example of seniors who do not require OAS assistance due to our assets and income. And yet we will receive a significant amount from OAS this year. There are, no doubt, thousands of seniors like us who do not require OAS to enjoy a financially secure future. The "bottom-line" is that by reducing the amount of OAS currently paid to seniors at high income levels the government would save about $7 billion per year. This saved amount would be directed to seniors who need extra financial help and to programmes and projects to assist our next generations(s). We have read CARP's published statements of May 2, 2022 and April 1, 2025 on the issue of OAS reform.

We would hope that rather than see this as a battle between CARP and Generation Squeeze, or a war between generations, we could talk and listen to one another and develop a way forward that meets the goals of both organizations. We are confident that this can be done. But it won't be easy and it will require hard work and commitment by both organizations. For the sake of the many seniors who require further financial help and our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who also need greater resources directed to them, we are all obligated to engage with one another and work toward a mutually acceptable and equitable result.

We appreciate your consideration and would very much welcome your thoughts on how we can move forward in grappling with these difficult but important issues. 

Sincerely,

Brian and Annalee Schnurr