e-4037 (Social affairs and equality)

Petition to the House of Commons

• In April 2021 it was announced that the Government of Canada would increase the Old Age Security (OAS) pension by 10 per cent and make a one-time payment of $500 in August 2021 to OAS pensioners who would be 75 or over;
• Seniors aged 65–74 bear the same heavy financial burden as seniors 75+;
• Rising inflation is hitting all Canadians, but especially those on fixed incomes;
• People whose only source of income is OAS and the Guaranteed Income Supplement receive less than $19,000 annually, an amount that barely reaches the official poverty line established by the Market Basket Measure;
• Since April 2021, costs of food and shelter have risen dramatically;
• Financial insecurity does not begin at age 75;
• This qualification is clearly age-based discrimination, a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights, which states that “Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.”; and
• An income test may be a better qualification measure.