What The Leaders Are Saying

 | December 19, 2006

What the Leaders are Saying

“As people across the globe come to live increasingly longer lives, our entire human family has a stake in encouraging and easing a productive, active, and healthy aging process. The whole world stands to gain from an empowered older generation, with the potential to make tremendous contributions to the development process and to the work of building more productive, peaceful, and sustainable societies.”
—Kofi Annan, Secretary-General, United Nations

“Old people will not damage job opportunities for the young. We have to realize that our work force will be reduced by 20 million workers in the long run-and our recommendations are indeed of long-term nature [sic].”
—Vladimir Špidla, Commissioner, Employment, Social Affairs & Equal Opportunities, European Commission

“Insurers, doctors and the bloated medical administration are the Bermuda Triangle of our health system. We need more transparency and fewer privileges for the privately insured.”
—Andrea Nahles, MP, Social Democratic Party of Germany

“This national pharmaceutical strategy is a key piece in all of the provinces understanding why we are facing the cost pressures that we are-and looking to see if there are ways that we can work together, in partnership with the federal government, to manage those cost pressures better.”
—George Abbott, Health Minister, British Colombia, Canada

“And because we are below replacement level it means that the aging of the population continues, the proportion of those of retirement age compared to those of working age continues to grow.”
—Peter Costello, MP, Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Australia