NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau are scoffing at a suggestion this week by Federal Finance Minister Joe Oliver that the Conservatives might allow Canadians to voluntarily boost contributions to the Canada Pension Plan.

Both say the government has no intention of carrying through on the matter because the prime minister has consistently ruled out expanding the CPP.

Trudeau says a Liberal government would bring in a compulsory CPP expansion, similar to one that’s proposed by the provincial government in Ontario.

“For years, Mr. Harper has refused to show any leadership on this, and we have said a number of times that we’re looking at expanding the CPP with proper partnership with the provinces, so like Ontario, they won’t have to go it alone,” Trudeau explained.

The Ontario plan was rejected by the federal Conservatives as a “job-killing payroll tax.”

The Conservatives said yesterday they will consult over the summer about allowing Canadians to make the choice of saving more for retirement through the CPP.

The New Democrats also support mandatory expansion of the program as do advocacy groups like CARP – A New Vision of Aging.

In fact, CARP’s Vice-President of Advocacy Susan Eng is a member of the advisory panel to the Ontario Liberal government for the Made In Ontario Pension Plan to be introduced in 2017.