The Canada Pension Plan turns 60: How good of a deal has it been?

January marks the 60th anniversary of the Canada Pension Plan, an appropriate time to assess how good of a deal the CPP has been.

When the CPP was launched in 1966, Canadians contributed just 1.8 per cent of their pay, up to a maximum annual amount of $79.20. Employers made a matching contribution.

In spite of the modest contributions, the politicians of the day decided that a full CPP pension should be payable as early as 1977. This created a deficit which will continue in perpetuity.