CARP, the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, says none of the eight key demands they’ve sought from the federal government appear to be forthcoming in the near future.

Chief Operating Officer and Chief Policy Officer for CARP nationally, and spokesperson for Atlantic Canada, Bill VanGorder says some of those items were previously promised, but none were mentioned in the recent budget update.

Among the biggest omissions, says VanGorder, was greater Old Age Security benefits for those 65 to 74. Ottawa recently increased OAS for people 75 plus, but has left retirees in the younger age bracket out in the cold.

“For some reason, the government decided to have a two-tiered system,” says VanGorder, “and that’s very unfair.”

He says another major concern is the amount provided for the Survivor Benefit for those on CPP.

They want to see the Survivor Benefit increased by 25 per cent, and they want the ceiling raised.

“There’s some assumption that one person could live at half the cost of another, and you and I know that simply isn’t true,” says VanGorder.