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November 23rd, 2016

Liberals reject attempt to fix CPP bill

OTTAWA — Today in the Finance Committee, the Liberals refused to support NDP amendments to the proposed CPP legislation which would have ensured that women and people living with disabilities are not unfairly penalized. Additionally, Liberal MPs shut down debate in a desperate move to avoid a motion that would have called on the government to fix this bill.

“For almost two weeks, we have asked the Liberals to fix this massive flaw in the CPP bill that will have serious consequences on the well-being of Canadian women and those living with disabilities,” said NDP Pensions Critic Scott Duvall “With no explanation let alone action from the Liberals, we proposed to fix the bill ourselves and today, the Minister rejected my amendment.”

The Liberal legislation on CPP expansion, Bill C-26, does not contain the Child Rearing Drop-out Provision, which does exist in the current CPP so that parents, mostly women, are not penalized for time taken out of the workforce to raise children. The Liberal bill also fails to replicate a similar existing drop out provision for people that have received CPP disability benefits.

“It’s despicable that Liberals are hiding behind process to avoid fixing this problem. It’s now clear that if the Liberals wanted to fix their bill, they would have done it by now,” added Duvall. “They panicked and shut down debate by adjourning committee instead of working together to fix this bill. This means that they will be intentionally and carelessly penalizing women and people living with disabilities.”