James Skinner
James is the Founder & Chief Executive of
CANZUK International in Vancouver, Canada
Gord Johns, the Canadian Member of Parliament for Courtenay-Alberni in British Columbia, is calling for Canada to negotiate with the UK government to lift the freeze on the cost-of-living index for recipients of the British State Pension who reside in Canada.
According to Johns, many retirees in Courtenay-Alberni receive the pension, and the freeze negatively impacts their quality of life, causing them to lose thousands of dollars over the course of their retirement.
Canada is home to around 144,000 UK pensioners, making it second only to Australia in terms of the number of UK pensioners residing in the country. The indexation of the pensions is based on agreements between countries, and currently, there is no indexing agreement between Canada and the UK.
Canada is home to around 144,000 UK pensioners, making it second only to Australia in terms of the number of UK pensioners residing in the country. The indexation of the pensions is based on agreements between countries, and currently, there is no indexing agreement between Canada and the UK.
In January, Johns raised the pension issue during a visit to the UK with Canadian High Commissioner, Ralph Goodale, and also advocated for lifting the freeze with UK Members of Parliament and members of the House of Lords.
Canada provides annual cost of living increases for its citizens who live anywhere in the world, while UK pensioners living in the US, European Union nations, and other countries receive similar increases. Johns is advocating for Canada to resolve the pension issue as part of the upcoming trade agreement negotiations with the United Kingdom. He believes that pensions are deferred wages and must be able to support those who rely on them.
The Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners estimates that the frozen British pensions cost the Canadian economy close to $1 billion annually. Johns is urging the Canadian government to push for a bilateral Social Security agreement similar to those the UK has with other countries.
CANZUK International welcomes the advocacy from Gord Johns MP on this issue, and will continue to work with him and Canadian MPs in resolving the ongoing lack of pension indexing for UK pensioners living in Canada.
Canada provides annual cost of living increases for its citizens who live anywhere in the world, while UK pensioners living in the US, European Union nations, and other countries receive similar increases. Johns is advocating for Canada to resolve the pension issue as part of the upcoming trade agreement negotiations with the United Kingdom. He believes that pensions are deferred wages and must be able to support those who rely on them.
The Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners estimates that the frozen British pensions cost the Canadian economy close to $1 billion annually. Johns is urging the Canadian government to push for a bilateral Social Security agreement similar to those the UK has with other countries.
CANZUK International welcomes the advocacy from Gord Johns MP on this issue, and will continue to work with him and Canadian MPs in resolving the ongoing lack of pension indexing for UK pensioners living in Canada.
Heading photo: Christian Diotte, House of Commons Photo Services
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