Some Perspectives on Changing the Pension System

This paper addresses the perceived difficulties in making changes to the retirement income system as a whole. We focus on public system reforms and observe some of the changes that have taken place in Canada and in a number of OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. Reforming social institutions is never easy. We examine some of the preconceived notions or “myths” that create public resistance to reform. Further, the complexity of the retirement income system in Canada makes consensus difficult to achieve. Nonetheless, we argue that pension reforms can and should be made to ensure the delivery of promised benefits, and we demonstrate the efficacy of smaller-scale reforms.