Premier Kathleen Wynne claims Prime Minister Stephen Harper “smirked” at her when she discussed with him the fact Canadians aren’t saving enough money for their retirement during a December meeting.

Of course, we have no way of verifying (a) if Harper “smirked” or (b) if he did, what he was smirking about.

For example, if Harper “smirked”, maybe he was smirking about the fact Wynne’s signature election promise of creating an “Ontario Retirement Pension Plan”, has about as much chance of ever actually happening as then Ontario Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty’s 2003 election promise not to raise our taxes.

Or maybe Harper “smirked” about the fact watching the Ontario Liberals run (uselessly) against federal Conservative governments in provincial election campaigns, is as old as the hills.

Then Liberal premier David Peterson did the same thing in the 1987 Ontario election, when he vowed he would not approve of Brian Mulroney’s free trade deal, unless it met Peterson’s “six conditions”, all of which have long since been consigned to the dust bin of history.

That said, Wynne does have the power — assuming she wins a majority government — to create a mandatory Ontario pension plan, so maybe Harper was smirking (as reported by the Toronto Star) over what a train wreck it will be if she does.

That’s because the immediate impact of creating such a plan will not be better pensions for millions of Ontario workers, but an average 1.9% hike in their payroll taxes, as well as to their employers’ cost of doing business.

According to Wynne, an Ontario worker now earning $45,000 a year will be hit with a new payroll tax of $788 annually.

If they earn $70,000 a year the new tax will be $1,263 annually and if they earn $90,000 a year, $1,643 annually.

Meanwhile, their employers will also be charged a new 1.9% payroll tax to match employee contributions, meaning there will eventually be fewer employees as employers lay off staff to meet this new cost of doing business.

Under Wynne’s plan, workers who manage to hang on to steady employment for 40 years (assuming they start work at age 25) will receive a pension valued at $6,410 a year in 2014 dollars if they retire at age 65, earning $45,000 annually; $9,970 a year if they earn $70,000 annually and $12,815 a year if they earn $90,000 annually.

Combined with the Canada Pension Plan, Wynne says, this will provide retirees with 30% to 40% of their pre-retirement income (up to a maximum of $90,000 annually), compared to the 70% experts claim is needed to maintain one’s pre-retirement standard of living.

Wynne also plans to include the self-employed in some sort of retirement saving scheme, but hasn’t explained how it will work.

In that context, perhaps Harper was smirking about the fact the same Ontario Liberal government that doubled the provincial debt in 11 years and is responsible for the eHealth, Ornge, Green Energy Act and cancelled gas plants billion-dollar fiascoes, is now promising to use that know how to create a new pension plan from scratch. Gee what could possibly go wrong?

Or perhaps Harper was smirking about the fact Wynne’s promise to create a new pension plan for the three million Ontario employees who don’t have one at work (translation, the vast majority of public sector workers, who do have them, will be exempt) is typical of Liberal nanny state thinking.

In other words, it would never occur to Wynne and the Liberals the reason people aren’t maxing out their RRSP contributions (the reason they gave for devising a mandatory Ontario pension plan) is not because they’re blowing all their extra cash on beer and popcorn, but because they barely have any disposable income left due to high taxes.

You know, things like the “health care premium” — the largest single tax grab in Ontario history — which McGuinty imposed following the 2003 election which brought him to power, after repeatedly promising during that election not to raise taxes.

Or the HST, which the Ontario Liberals introduced in 2010, which immediately raised the price of such necessities as electricity, home heating fuel and gasoline by 8%, along with many other goods and services.

Or because of skyrocketing hydro rates, which, under the Wynne Liberals, are now rising by 42% over five years.

Maybe that’s why Harper “smirked” at Wynne, if he smirked at all.

It’s certainly why I’m smirking.