Bill C-256 (Historical)

Pension Ombudsman Act

An Act to establish the office of Pension Ombudsman to investigate administrative difficulties encountered by persons in their dealings with the Government of Canada in respect of benefits under the Canada Pension Plan or the Old Age Security Act or tax liability on such benefits and to review the policies and practices applied in the administration and adjudication of such benefits and liabilities

This bill was last introduced in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session, which ended in March 2011.

This bill was previously introduced in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session.

Sponsor

Pat Martin  NDP

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Outside the Order of Precedence (a private member's bill that hasn't yet won the draw that determines which private member's bills can be debated), as of Jan. 27, 2009
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.

The purpose of this enactment is to establish the office of Pension Ombudsman, whose function is to assist persons dealing with the Government of Canada in respect of benefits under the Canada Pension Plan or the Old Age Security Act or tax liabilities thereon in cases where they are dealt with unfairly or unreasonably or with unreasonable delay. The Ombudsman may investigate complaints and report on complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved. The reports may be to the relevant minister as to the specific details of complaints, or in general terms to a standing committee of the House of Commons.
The Ombudsman may propose changes in the way the public is served in these matters with respect to fairness, reasonableness and promptness.
If the relevant department fails to improve its policies and practices at the suggestion of the Ombudsman, the Ombudsman may make a report to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development or to the Minister of National Revenue, and the report must then be laid before Parliament.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Pension Ombudsman ActRoutine Proceedings

January 27th, 2009 / 3:10 p.m.
See context

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-256, An Act to establish the office of Pension Ombudsman to investigate administrative difficulties encountered by persons in their dealings with the Government of Canada in respect of benefits under the Canada Pension Plan or the Old Age Security Act or tax liability on such benefits and to review the policies and practices applied in the administration and adjudication of such benefits and liabilities.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Thunder Bay—Rainy River for seconding this bill, which I am introducing on behalf of all Canadian pensioners.

The bill would mandate the government to create the office of a pension ombudsman so that Canadian pensioners having difficulties with the Canada Pension Plan or Old Age Security would have an avenue of recourse, an advocate or champion willing to undertake their issues and bring them forward on their behalf. The ombudsman would then make a report to the minister for HRSD or to a House of Commons standing committee, if necessary, and that report would be presented to Parliament so members of the House of Commons would know if our pension system was being provided in a fair and equitable manner to the beneficiaries of those plans.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)