Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague who is a gentleman always.
It is with pleasure that I rise to speak in support of this motion which calls upon the Government of Canada to seek an agreement with the British government that would require the British government to begin paying costs of living increases to British pensioners living in Canada.
I thank the hon. member for the Battlefords-Meadowlake for raising this issue. I am also grateful to my constituents who have written to me to raise my awareness to their concerns.
The United Kingdom is the country of origin of the largest number of immigrants to Canada since the second world war. Many have made significant contributions to the prosperity of Canada. As members know, Guelph is called the royal city. We are proud of our heritage which is tied to Great Britain.
It is therefore troubling that in spite of the efforts of the Government of Canada over the last 20 years there is still no social security agreement in place between our two countries to protect the pension rights of British pensioners in Canada. We are discussing pension rights of a significant number of people, estimated at around 130,000. These people are being hurt because the British government refuses to provide them with the same protection against inflation that is enjoyed by British pensioners living in the United Kingdom, the European Union and a number of other countries with which the United Kingdom has social security agreements.
I believe that the policy of the current British government is illogical. All the people we are talking about have contributed to the British pension plan and believed when they did that they would be paid a pension to which they were entitled and that everyone would be treated fairly and in the same way. This is not the case.
The current policy of the British government therefore treats some of its citizens more equally than others. The situation exists where many British pensioners living in Canada, including those living in Guelph-Wellington, who wrote to me only recently received considerably less than those in Great Britain who made exactly the same contributions but who reside in the United Kingdom or in countries with which the United Kingdom has social security agreements.
Is this unfair? Of course it is. This has resulted in a significant loss of income for some pensioners living in Canada. Many of these people moved to this country to be closer to their children and their grandchildren and the reduction in their pension income has been very difficult.
I am told that in some cases these pensioners who worked all of their lives and contributed to the British pension plan are now dependent on their families. This has resulted in a loss of dignity.
For people who spent their lives hoping and contributing for a decent pension plan, this must be quite a blow. Interestingly, the inconsistency of this policy has been recognized by members of Parliament in Britain.
A recent British parliamentary committee studying this issue noted that there seems to be no pattern to this system, which provides indexing for some but not for others.
In addition, the report went on to observe that no one would have deliberately set out to design such a system. However, this is the situation faced by thousands of people living in Canada. Something obviously has to be done if this double standard is to be eliminated. It is time for the British government to act.
I was saddened to learn that the current British government seemed no more willing to correct this situation now than it has been for the past 20 years. The reason appears to be that the cost of fixing this injustice is estimated to be about $16.8 million in the first year and this figure is growing over time to about $150 million per year.
As a supporter of fiscal restraint and deficit reduction, I appreciate the difficulties that this means for the British government. However, we must insist that the British treat its pensioners living in Canada in exactly the same way as those living in the United Kingdom and other country by providing them with the same indexation of benefits enjoyed by pensioners living elsewhere.
The Canadian government has tried to make its position clear. For instance, the Prime Minister spoke to British Prime Minister Major about this when they met during the 50th anniversary of D-Day and the 50th anniversary of V-E Day.
As well, the Minister of Foreign Affairs raised this issue with his British counterpart at their first bilateral meeting. More recently, the Minister of Human Resources Development discussed this with the British secretary of state and with various spokespersons of the opposition during his visit to London in January.
He emphasized then how strongly the Government of Canada feels about this issue. These are concrete examples that show the determination of this government to see this matter through to a
successful conclusion. I remain hopeful that the British government will change its attitude on this issue.
Last October, I shared with this House my motion calling for a seniors bill of rights. At that time I spoke about the people in my community who deserve our respect and support. They are, of course, seniors who gave so much and ask for so little.
I spoke then, as I do now, about their one main request, to be treated with the dignity they deserve. I spoke about the many organizations, associations and senior complexes, like the Elliott under the leadership of David Hicks, who support our seniors.
The injustice that is experienced by the thousands of British pensioners living in Canada is another example that we must always be vigilant and watchful to protect those most vulnerable and to help those who help them.
This motion has my support and I urge all members to support it as well. By supporting this motion, members of Parliament will demonstrate the resolve of all Canadians to see this matter to a successful conclusion, thus ensuring that justice is done for these 130,000 people living in Canada.
The royal city says yes to this motion and so do I.