All right.
Evidence of meeting #15 for Veterans Affairs in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was pension.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #15 for Veterans Affairs in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was pension.
A recording is available from Parliament.
2:50 p.m.
Executive Director, Pensions and Benefits, Treasury Board Secretariat
It's only for current members paying in, not for those who predeceased and not those...beforehand.
2:50 p.m.
Bloc
Luc Desilets Bloc Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
All right.
You referred to the Government and Public Employees Retirement Plan, the RREGOP, which seems to be an example of a pension fund plan.
Do you believe that the basic principles of this plan would be applicable, in this case?
2:50 p.m.
Executive Director, Pensions and Benefits, Treasury Board Secretariat
Different plan sponsors have different objectives for their retirements. There are positives and negatives. The challenge with pension benefits in general is that they are a fairly blunt instrument because they apply to high-income earners as well as to low-income earners. Often when we look at, say, removing a limit like the marriage after 60 limitation that's in the plan, the biggest beneficiaries of this are going to be the high-income earners.
This is not a method necessarily of targeting any specific subpopulation. The question is what we are aiming to do. If it's to, say, help ensure that low-income survivors are provided for in retirement, there are a great deal of costs and funds that are not going to be allocated to these members. It's a very small component.
2:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
Thank you, Mr. Desilets.
I now recognize Ms. Rachel Blaney for the next two and a half minutes.
Ms. Blaney, we're listening.
2:50 p.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Thank you so much, Chair.
I would ask some questions of Ms. Garrett-Baird. The two are basically yes-or-no questions.
In answering questions, you have talked about survivor supports outside of the pension that people who are married after 60 could possibly use after their partner passes. I'm just wondering if you could submit to the committee how much of that money is flowing to that particular group. You were talking about hundreds of thousands of people. How much money, what program and how many people who are survivors and have no access to the pension is it impacting? Could you get us that information?
2:50 p.m.
Director General, Policy and Research, Department of Veterans Affairs
I am able to provide you with what we know, which is that we're providing the income—
2:50 p.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Do you know? Do you calculate at all who accesses those programs and are not receiving the survivor's benefit?
2:50 p.m.
Director General, Policy and Research, Department of Veterans Affairs
If you're referring to the optional survivor benefit, we don't—
2:50 p.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
I'm not going to ask you that question because you don't want to understand it.
Statistics Canada did all of that assessment, but there was no analysis. Could you provide the committee with the analysis of the Statistics Canada information?
2:50 p.m.
Director General, Policy and Research, Department of Veterans Affairs
Yes. What we found from our analysis was that—
2:55 p.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
If you could submit that to us, that's perfect.
Now, around the veterans survivors fund, this does apply only to veterans. It doesn't apply to RCMP veterans, which is concerning to me. I know that none of the money has moved of the $150 million. Does this assessment that you're going to share with the committee talk about how it's going to be moved and when it's going to be moved? Next, what is the department doing around the RCMP veterans?
2:55 p.m.
Director General, Policy and Research, Department of Veterans Affairs
The information that I have articulated today, and that I will be sharing with you, is what we learned from Statistics Canada in terms of the characteristics of this population, which we are using to determine the way forward for the veterans survivors fund. Budget 2019 provided the funding for veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces. We are aware that the same clause applies to the RCMP Superannuation Act, but our work has been focused on Canadian Armed Forces veterans for the budget 2019 commitment.
2:55 p.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Okay, so there is no commitment for RCMP veterans. That's really helpful.
I will actually write you my question—the initial question that I asked, more specifically—hoping that you'll understand it then. If you could receive that and get that information back to the committee, or let us know if you can't, that would be extremely helpful.
That's my time. Thank you so much, Chair.
2:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
You're welcome.
Now, I'd like to invite Mr. Fraser Tolmie to begin his five minutes, please. Is Mr. Tolmie there?
Maybe I can invite Mrs. Wagantall to take five minutes.
2:55 p.m.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
I don't know where to go with this anymore, quite frankly. I think we've learned a great deal today, but, I would be pleased....
I'm sorry. I'm getting a message.
Chair, they're wondering if you did not agree that we would be taking a break at this point in time. Perhaps there are some people who need a quick—
2:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
Okay, but I was saying that after this round you would get five minutes.
2:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
After that, we have Darrell Samson, so I will put that on the table to ask members if they want to stop.
2:55 p.m.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
That's understood. I think we should take into account these people who have come to spend the afternoon with us. To keep them sharp as well, we ought to have the opportunity for a bit of a stretch break here—seriously.
2:55 p.m.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Thank you.
With that being said, I think we got a lot of clarity on what is and what isn't at this point in time.
I am very concerned about another promise in 2019 of $150 million. It was supposed to kind of appease this whole concern about survivors receiving a portion of their loved one's pension when they pass away, and none of those funds have gone out yet. To put that money forward before being ready is a trademark of this government. They make announcement after announcement, even with COVID, and nothing has been established or put in place yet.
I would ask those of you who are engaged on that particular issue if you could please, even now, having had a little more time, Ms. Garrett-Baird, explain to us where that process is at. When and what can we expect to come out of that in light of the fact that it appears to me that there's not a will or perhaps an ability at this point in time to come forward and meet the desire of our veterans and their spouses, as was outlined in the 2015 mandate letter.
2:55 p.m.
Director General, Policy and Research, Department of Veterans Affairs
Budget 2019 provided $150 million to develop a veterans survivors fund. That fund, to be clear, will not—