CMA secretary general to chair CPP board

Dr. Léo-Paul Landry, the CMA secretary general, has been appointed chair of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Advisory Board. "The board plays a key role in the development and support of the Canada Pension Plan," Lloyd Axworthy, then federal minister of human resources development, said in announcing 11 appointments Jan. 24. The board, which holds 2-day meetings twice a year, advises the minister on CPP operations, the adequacy of coverage and benefits and the state of the CPP investment fund.

Dr. Jack Armstrong, the CMA president, said the part-time appointment is recognition not only of Dr. Landry's management skills but also of the CMA's longstanding interest in retirement and pension issues. "The CMA, through Dr. Landry and the RRSP alliance that he leads, has had a high profile whenever retirement and pensions have been discussed at the federal level in recent years," he said. He also noted that the CMA was the driving force behind the development of registered retirement savings plans in 1957. Dr. Landry faces a tough task in assuming the post because there are serious concerns about the future of the CPP and its ability to stay solvent as a growing number of people from the baby-boom generation near retirement age. "Our job will be to advise the government on possible options," he said.

| CMAJ March 1, 1996 (vol 154, no 5) |