A call for an expanded Canada Pension Plan by the Trudeau Liberals is expected to get strong support from most provinces.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau and his provincial and territorial counterparts are planning to meet in Ottawa this Sunday and Monday. Morneau told reporters yesterday that CPP reform will be an important agenda issue. But what’s not clear is whether Ottawa will have the two-thirds of provincial support required to go ahead with reforming Canada’s national pension plan.

The push for CPP expansion has largely been led at the provincial level by Ontario’s Finance Minister. Charles Sousa says the biggest hurdle was the previous Federal government, which had no appetite for even having it as an issue for discussion.

Sousa and Premier Kathleen Wynne are going ahead with a supplementary program called the Ontario Registered Pension Plan. But Sousa says the upcoming meeting of finance ministers could determine whether Ontario chooses to focus on its provincial plan or a new national pension plan.

CARP’s Executive Vice-President Susan Eng has been on the advisory board for the ORPP. She will comment on new optimism for an expanded CPP on Zoomer Radio’s Goldhawk Fights Back today at 12:05pm.