Rejoice for Freedom of Choice

CBC called recently. They wanted my reaction to the news that Ontario intends to end the practice of mandatory retirement. My response in a nutshell: What a great day to rejoice! It is practically a no-brainer that it should be the decision of individual workers to remain on the job after age 65. I say “practically” because the change will come with more than a few implications for employers, pension-plan administrators, workers and unions.

Nevertheless, the government is doing the right thing in exercising its power to eliminate mandatory retirement. The Supreme Court of Canada, in a landmark decision, had ruled that mandatory-retirement is a justifiable infringement on individual rights.