A message from retired Sister Marion Pollack: Go Vote

I have received a note from retired Sister Marion Pollack about why she is voting to defeat Stephen Harper on October 19^th.  Sister Pollack held many positions in the union at the local, regional and national level and dedicated her whole working life not only to postal workers, but also to fighting for social justice and against oppression in all of its forms.  I wanted to pass her words on to the membership, and echo her encouragement to get out and vote on October 19^th.

In solidarity,

Mike Palecek
National President

On October 19^th, I am making a choice to protect my retirement, my community, my Canada Post, and the lives of my friends and family.  I am going to vote and I am going to vote Harper out.

Here are twelve reasons why I am saying no to Harper and his friends in the Conservative Party.

1. I want a secure retirement for me and my friends.  Harper’s plan to increase the age from 65 to 67 to be able to access Old Age Security payments, will make the lives of retirees much harder. 
   I want retirees to have a secure retirement and I don’t want seniors to worry about buying food, paying rent etc.
   
   
2. I want $15.00 a day childcare.   Many retirees are spending their retirement looking after their grandchildren, because of the lack of affordable child care.  While many seniors love spending time with their grandchildren, they did not retire to become full time caregivers. And, study after study has shown the quality affordable child care is good for children and the economy. 
   
   
3. I want a good health care system.  I like many people rely on the public health care system to stay healthy.  Cuts to public health care will result in me getting sick more often.  Harper wants to cut more than $36 billion from health care. That is not good news for me or for anyone else.
   
   
4. I want an Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women.  My heart breaks when I hear the families of missing and murdered Aboriginal women speak.  We need an Inquiry not only to find out what really happened but to stop this tragedy from occurring in the future.
   
   
5. The newly announced Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) scares me. Harper has announced the Trans Pacific Partnership. This newly negotiated free trade agreement could increase the costs of medication I rely on and could lead to Canada Post being privatized or deregulated. The TPP may be good for big business but it is not good for ordinary people.
   
   
6. I want to keep door to door mail delivery. The Federal Conservatives want to eliminate door to door mail delivery.  This will hurt people like me who have difficulty walking.  
   
   
7. I want to keep my Canada Post defined benefit pension plan.  I retired after working for Canada Post for more than 35 years.    Instead of making more money when I was working I deferred some of my wages so I could have a good retirement.  Now, Harper is hinting that he may bring in a target benefit pension plan.  When the New Brunswick Government brought in a target benefit pension plan current retirees saw their monthly pensions decrease.   I cannot afford that.
   
   
8. I want to make the world better for women.  Harper doesn’t.  
   
   
9. I can’t stand Harper’s attack on workers and Unions.  Harper ordered CUPW back to work in 2011, even though Canada Post had locked us out.   He has used or threatened back to work legislation a number of times. 
   
   
10. I want to be able to protest without being labelled a terrorist. Harper’s Bill C-51 is dangerous. The definition of terrorism is so broadly written that I and my friends could be charged for simply exercising our right to peaceful protest.
    
    
11. I want and need a safe and clean environment.  Climate change worries me. In the past couple of years I have seen drought, loss of fish habitat, and extreme weather. I need clean air to breathe and water to drink. Harper’s actions have not helped our environment.
    
    
12. I don’t want human rights issues made into political issues. I am so upset that Harper is using human rights issues to gain votes.  Making human rights issues political means that all of our rights are in danger of being eroded.  Today it is the niqab, tomorrow it could be rights for differently abled people, and down the road it could be the right to free collective bargaining.

Please join me on October 19^th by voting.

Please vote for your pension, child care, the environment, and fairness.

In Solidarity,

Marion Pollack
Retired member