Canada’s population is retiring earlier and living longer. Even so, the age 65 retirement threshold, inherited from 19th-century Prussia, continues to anchor public policy and social expectations. In this episode, Professor Kevin Milligan (Professor of Economics, University of British Columbia) joins host Marwa Abdou to breakdown how this outdated convention often fails to account for disparities in health and life expectancy across income levels and regions, and how it can unintentionally push the most vulnerable seniors into poverty. In addition, the conversation explores the demographic changes that are at odds with the short-term focus of political planning cycles (which rarely extend beyond five years), and how policies need reform so that Canadians can not only survive in retirement but truly thrive.

Links:

- Kevin Milligan, University of British Columbia, Vancouver School of Economics

- Kevin Milligan, C.D. Howe Institute

- Kevin Milligan, Globe and Mail

- The time of your life: The mortality and longevity of Canadians

- Retirement incentives and decisions across the income distribution: Evidence in Canada

- Health and Capacity to Work of Older Canadians: Gender and Regional Dimensions with Tammy Schirle

- The Evolution of Longevity: Evidence from Canada,” with Tammy Schirle