Bill C-428 (Historical)

An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (residency requirement)

This enactment amends the Old Age Security Act to reduce from ten years to three years the residency requirement for entitlement to a monthly pension.

Pensions

[Leon Benoit, Conservative, Vegreville—Wainwright, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in my second petition, the petitioners note that right now an individual has to contribute to Canadian society for 10 years to be eligible for old age security. They note that Bill C-428 would reduce that requirement to three years.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to defeat Bill C-428, An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act.

[Leon Benoit, Conservative, Vegreville—Wainwright, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in the second petition, the petitioners note that if people are to receive old age security currently, they must have contributed to Canadian society for at least 10 years. The petitioners note that there is a private member's bill, Bill C-428, An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (residency requirement), that would reduce that requirement to three years.

The petitioners are calling upon Parliament to defeat that legislation. They believe the 10-year requirement is reasonable.

[Leon Benoit, Conservative, Vegreville—Wainwright, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present, on behalf of constituents from Two Hills, Innisfree, Ranfurly and elsewhere, a petition that calls upon Parliament to maintain the 10-year residency requirement for Canadians to collect old age security. They call on the House to defeat Bill C-428 which would reduce that requirement to three years.

[Leon Benoit, Conservative, Vegreville—Wainwright, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to table a petition today that draws the attention of the House to the fact that current recipients of old age security pension are Canadians who have contributed to Canadian society for at least 10 years and that decreasing the residency requirement for pension eligibility is a disincentive for new Canadians to work, contribute and integrate into Canadian society.

The petitioners are calling upon Parliament to maintain the 10 year requirement and not to adopt Bill C-428 which would reduce that requirement to 3 years.

Old Age Security Act

[Leon Benoit, Conservative, Vegreville—Wainwright, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present this petition on behalf of the good people of Forestburg, Sedgewick, Heisler and area. The petitioners note that the old age security pension has required a contribution on behalf of Canadians for at least 10 years and that there is a Liberal private member's bill before the House, Bill C-428, an act to amend the Old Age Security Act, which would in fact change the requirement to just three years. The petitioners call on the House to defeat that bill.

Pensions

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I continue to hear from constituents about Bill C-428, the private member's bill from the Liberal member for Brampton—Springdale.

My constituents are outraged about a Liberal bill that would raise taxes to give a pension to someone who has only been a resident of Canada for three years. They want to know how the Liberals could justify raising taxes to give a pension to someone who has done little or nothing to earn it.

While the Liberals will have to answer for this in the next election, the Conservatives already have good news for Canadian pensioners. Our Conservative government's Bill C-9, which passed in July, reforms our pension system and has made the retirements of millions of Canadians more secure. Now employers can contribute more to workers' pensions and pensions are better protected in law.

While the Liberals are busy scheming to raise taxes, the Conservatives are working hard to improve the lives of Canadian seniors.

Old Age Security

[Leon Benoit, Conservative, Vegreville—Wainwright, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to present this petition on behalf of constituents from Lamont, Tofield, Mundare, St. Michael and other places in the constituency.

They note that the current recipients of the old age security pension are Canadians who have duly contributed to Canada for at least 10 years. They argue that decreasing the residency requirement for pension eligibility is a disincentive for new Canadians to work, contribute and integrate into Canadian society.

The petitioners ask, therefore, that the House of Commons oppose Bill C-428, An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (residency requirement).

[Leon Benoit, Conservative, Vegreville—Wainwright, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present this petition. The petitioners note that the current recipients of old age security in Canada have duly contributed to Canadian society for at least 10 years and decreasing the residency requirement for pension eligibility would be a disincentive for new Canadians to work, contribute and integrate into Canadian society.

The petitioners therefore call upon the House of Commons to oppose Bill C-428, An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (residency requirement).

Old Age Security Pension

[Leon Benoit, Conservative, Vegreville—Wainwright, AB]

Mr. Speaker, today I take pride in presenting a petition on behalf of constituents who oppose Bill C-428, which would lower the residency requirement for receiving Old Age Security from 10 years to 3 years. They believe that the 10 year requirement currently in place is the appropriate level.

Therefore, they are asking Parliament to oppose Bill C-428.

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today to present a petition on behalf of my colleague, the hon. member for Whitby—Oshawa and his constituents regarding Bill C-428, An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (residency requirement).

The constituents from the riding of Whitby—Oshawa, spearheaded by Dorothy and Frank Murray, believe that the proposed change to lower the residency requirement from 10 years to 3 years for OAS is unmerited, as the current residency requirement for an OAS pension is sufficient.

Therefore, they call upon the House of Commons to oppose Bill C-428.

Old Age Security

[Alex Atamanenko, NDP, British Columbia Southern Interior, BC]

Madam Speaker, the second petition deals with Bill C-428. A number of persons in my riding are concerned about this private member's bill. They say that there are currently already 50 social security agreements in place with a wide variety of countries that allow for a period of residence and contributions to the other country to be used to meet a 10-year requirement.

They feel that a cost of over $700 million that the bill would entail is too costly and irresponsible, and would be paid for by the Canadian taxpayers. They request the House of Commons to reject Bill C-428, An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (residency requirement).

[Nathalie Martel]

It's $38; it would be peanuts. You're referring to Bill C-428, aren't you?

Human Resources

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have been inundated with calls from my constituents who are adamantly opposed to Bill C-428, which was introduced by the Liberal member for Brampton—Springdale and seconded by the member for Toronto Centre. The bill would allow people to receive old age security and guaranteed income supplement benefits after only being in the country for three years.

Would the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development please tell this House the position of our Conservative government regarding Bill C-428?

Old Age Security Act

[Ruby Dhalla, Liberal, Brampton—Springdale, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-428, An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (residency requirement).

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honour and pleasure that I introduce a bill to amend the Old Age Security Act, the residency requirement, with the support of the member for Toronto Centre.

This bill seeks to increase support to immigrant seniors and erase an inequality and discrimination that exists among seniors coming to Canada from certain countries, like China, the Caribbean, India, Africa and South America. Immigrant seniors from these countries have to wait 10 years for their old age security benefits versus three years for seniors from other countries.

The bill being brought forward today in this House is the result of the hard work of thousands of seniors across this country and organizations like the Old Age Benefits Forum and the Chinese Canadian National Council, which have advocated in the interest of fairness and equality.

This bill would help reduce the economic vulnerability that is faced by immigrant seniors and would ensure that all seniors, regardless of their country of origin, are treated as equals in Canada.

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