The age of eligibility for OAS is a red herring, a diversion that should be ignored by those wishing to engage in rational discourse on the issue of funding retirement. What is more important now is keeping older people in the work force longer. That way they are less of a burden on society.

Anyone over 65 who continues to work, earning an above average income will be paying tax on OAS in the range of 30%+ plus having the benefit clawed back. In addition they do not get the age exemption basic tax credit of about $6,000 which is progressively reduced if your income exceeds about $36,000. I wager also that those who continue to work are in better health because they work and are less in need of general benefits that the elderly receive.

The author, like so many academics and political partisans, is guilty of selective thinking, of not considering her thesis in the context of everything else.