13 pages. Excerpt: With respect to public pensions, Canada has faced a long-term financial challenge due to an aging population. In 1997, the nation responded by deciding to pre-fund its earnings-related public pension program -- the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) -- and investing a major portion of the accumulated assets in equities. The goal was to set a contribution and benefit that would be the same for each generation, using equities to minimize the cost of the program.