Mr. Speaker, I am presenting an e-petition that has the signatures of just under 5,000 Canadians, raising an issue that seems pretty much a no-brainer.
The death benefit from the Canadian pension plan has been frozen at the same level since 1998, at $2,500. Obviously, the cost of living and the cost of a funeral, the cost of dying, in this country have more than doubled since 1998.
Since many Canadians outlive their savings, the petitioners are asking the House of Commons to consider that the CPP top-up death benefit really applies only to people who have never received CPP. The number of people who are suffering and who are living below the poverty line calls us to consider this: that the House of Commons and the government increase the CPP death benefit.
Petitioners have calculated the inflation-adjusted 2025 value of where the benefit was in 1998, so they are calling on the government to increase the CPP death benefit to $6,400 and to provide tax deductions and credits for families for funeral expenses and other final expenses, to help all Canadian families afford a dignified funeral and burial for their loved ones.