Hello. Good afternoon.
Mr. Chair, members, ladies and gentlemen, my topic is equitable treatment of all Canadian seniors in the granting of old age benefits.
We, the members of Old Age Benefits Forum, Ontario chapter, under the leadership of the Old Age Benefits Forum of Canada (Registered), which is based in Vancouver, are struggling to amend the Old Age Security Act to remove the unfair 10-year residency clause for certain immigrants who come from China, South Asia, Arabia, South America, Eastern Europe, Africa, and others.
The Old Age Security Act lays a condition of 10 years' residency on certain Canadians who are from areas of the world that have no so-called reciprocal social agreement with Canada. This condition was imposed by an amendment of the OAS Act in 1977. Thus, it splits the plus-65 Canadians into two categories: beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of old age benefits.
Once, in the year 1977, the Canadian government tried to rectify this unfairness by bringing in section 40 of the act. Effective July 1, 1977, the Canadian government was empowered to enter into social agreements with the countries of the immigrants, and sponsored immigrants from those countries that would be portable to Canada, towards the fulfillment of the grant of OAS benefits.
Up to March 6, 1996, senior immigrants coming from social agreement countries could receive benefits after as little as one year of residency in Canada at one-fortieth the flat rate of full OAS benefits, GIS, and SPA. Against this, immigrants from non-social agreement countries have to wait 10 years, and thereafter are paid OAS benefits at 10/40 the flat rate of full benefits, plus GIS and SPA. In both cases, the total sum of OAS plus GIS is the same. Thus, evidently there is a glaring unfairness in the matter of OAS benefits. This unfairness has continued right from July 1, 1977.