About 100 Nortel pensioners rallied on Parliament Hill Friday to draw attention to the need for pension protection.
"There's nobody in the federal government that we can see who is paying any attention to our issues," said Tony Marsh, a Nortel pensioner who attended the demonstration.
Pensioners fear they'll take a 30 to 40 per cent hit to their benefits as Nortel struggles to pay down its debts.
So far, no level of government has given any indication that they will move to protect pensions.
Pensioners estimate they are owed more than $1 billion in pension benefits and fear they're being overlooked as the company sells off its assets.
"The people out here are just at a tip of an iceberg," said Marsh, referring to those attending the demonstration.
"How are we going to get that money unless it's by Nortel assets being properly distributed? And if they're not properly distributed, then we're left with nothing."
The rally took place as a committee of MPs quizzed business executives about the sale of Nortel assets.
It's estimated there are close to 19,000 Nortel pensioners in Canada and 30,000 others worldwide.
