Bill C-353 (Historical)

An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (Canada Pension Plan payments)

This bill was last introduced in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session, which ended in September 2019.

Sponsor

Sheri Benson  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 April 13, 2017
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

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

This enactment amends the Old Age Security Act to provide that a pensioner’s guaranteed income supplement shall not be reduced as a result of an increase in the pensioner’s income under the Canada Pension Plan if that increase results solely from the indexation of that pension.

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.

SeniorsOral Questions

May 10th, 2019 / 11:30 a.m.
See context

NDP

Sheri Benson NDP Saskatoon West, SK

Madam Speaker, this week the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance was bragging about all the support for seniors coming from the government, but here is a reality check. Seniors living on fixed income and in affordable housing in Saskatchewan do not see this help. When their GIS or OAS increases, their rent goes up. If their CPP increases with inflation, their GIS goes down.

Will the government pass my bill, Bill C-353, and end these clawbacks to ensure that when seniors on low income see their pension payments increase, so does their quality of life?

Old Age Security ActRoutine Proceedings

April 13th, 2017 / 12:15 p.m.
See context

NDP

Sheri Benson NDP Saskatoon West, SK

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-353, An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (Canada Pension Plan payments).

Mr. Speaker, I want to first thank my colleague the member for Hamilton Mountain for being the seconder of the bill. Not only is he our party's pension critic, but the bill was also introduced in the last Parliament by his predecessor, Chris Charlton.

Sadly, there is still a dire need for a bill that would preserve the cost of living increase on the Canada pension plan for seniors living in poverty and the many more at risk of falling into poverty.

The indexation of the Canada pension plan was meant to be a safeguard against the cost of living outstripping a senior's income, yet even a marginal increase in the CPP often means that the same amount is clawed back on the GIS, leaving many seniors no further ahead.

The bill I am introducing today would prohibit any reduction in the guaranteed income supplement if the only change to one's income is as a result of CPP indexing.

If the government is truly interested in bringing about real change for seniors, it will immediately adopt this bill into law, thereby allowing seniors' net income to keep pace with inflation. I hope that all members of the House will agree that this is the very least we can do.

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