Blacklock's Reporter

A Senator yesterday issued a Christmas appeal to cabinet to redouble efforts to find destitute seniors entitled to federal benefits they never received. Cabinet says it knows of nearly 90,000 deserving pensioners who did not apply for the Guaranteed Income Supplement.

“This is serious,” said Senator Michael Duffy (Independent-P.E.I.). “These are the neediest Canadians, and they’re not claiming money that is due to them because somehow they have fallen through the cracks.”

MPs have cited elderly constituents owed benefits they never asked for in the mistaken belief they didn’t qualify, or were unaware of the program. The Guaranteed Income Supplement was introduced as a 1967 anti-poverty amendment to the Old Age Security Act.

“The Guaranteed Income Supplement is paid to those who earn less than $18,000 a year,” Duffy told the Senate. “The maximum benefit of $897 a month, for the seniors I know on Prince Edward Island, is essential to have even a subsistence existence.”

Pensioners were required to personally submit benefit claims. As late as 2015 the Department of Employment acknowledged it was pocketing $1.02 billion a year in unclaimed benefits including Old Age Security, the Guaranteed Income Supplement and Canada Pension Plan.

Cabinet on January 1 introduced automatic enrollment for all Canadians turning 65 as determined by tax records, but made no similar provision for pensioners already past 65 who forgot to file a claim. Senator Duffy said he petitioned Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and regulators to “comb their records to ensure we reach those who are entitled”.

“This money rightly belongs to those forgotten Canadians, people who contributed to benefits programs as taxpayers and helped build Canada and made it the greatest country in the world,” said Duffy.

The Department of Social Development in a December 3 Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons said in the past two years it mailed 192,500 letters to seniors it suspected were entitled to cheques but didn’t apply. A total 88,500 never responded. Staff estimated about 9 percent of impoverished retirees who qualify for benefits do not ask for them.

“When nearly 90,000 people don’t reply to an offer of free money, we know we have a problem and extraordinary measures are required,” said Senator Duffy: “How do we reach out to the poorest of the poor to ensure they get the benefits to which they’re entitled?”

“As we count our blessings this holiday season, let us take time to remember these poor seniors, God bless them, every one,” said Duffy.

Canada’s Chief Actuary in a 2017 Actuarial Report On The Old Age Security Program forecast the number of pensioners will increase 61 percent by 2030, from 5.8 million to 9.3 million seniors, including retirees so poor they qualify for the Guaranteed Income Supplement.

By Staff

MPs on the Commons House affairs committee yesterday cautioned taxpayers to brace for cost overruns and skipped construction deadlines on mammoth Parliament Hill renovations. The Department of Public Works acknowledged it’s not sure how long the project will take, or how much it will cost.

“Is the budget fixed?” asked New Democrat MP David Christopherson (Hamilton Centre, Ont.). “No, at this point, the baseline budget or schedule has not been firmly established,” replied Rob Wright, assistant deputy minister of public works.

“I would like to hear from you what year we will really move back into Centre Block,” asked Liberal MP David Graham (Laurentides-Labelle, Que.). “As soon as possible,” replied Wright: “I would say we’re at too much of a preliminary phase to speak to the scope, which then flows into creating a budget and a schedule.”

Parliament’s iconic 1920-era Centre Block is to close by January 31. Cabinet in 2007 approved a Long-Term Vision Plan that suggested renovations would take 10 years. Public Works sources indicate the closure is more likely to take from 13 to 20 years.

Total costs of Hill renovations were put at $1.4 billion by then-Auditor General Denis Desautels in 1998. Costs were revised to $1.5 billion by a federal advisory committee in 2001, and estimated at $5 billion by Auditor General Sheila Fraser in 2011. “I can foresee an outraged Canadian public looking at the total bill for this,” said Conservative MP Scott Reid (Lanark-Frontenac, Ont.).

Assistant Deputy Minister Wright said more will be known once the building is emptied and surveyed. “The next year will really be about establishing, through the functional programming exercise and the full assessment of the condition of the building, the scope which will drive the schedule and the budget,” he said.

“What I’m understanding is the budget has not been fully fleshed out, nor are the plans ready,” said Liberal MP Linda Lapointe (Riviere-des-Mille-Iles, Que.): “Before we begin renovations we always know what we should be expecting to have at the end, and what the idea behind it is. So, I’m a little surprised by your answers. In principle, when we’re dealing with taxpayers’ money, we need to know where we’re headed.”

 Rumours Of Botched Job

MPs yesterday noted Public Works renovations to Parliament’s West Block were late and over-budget. Refits were originally budgeted at $460 million in 1992, and later revised to $769 million. It is currently estimated at $975 million including tax, double the original price.

The West Block closed in 2011. “I was told it would be back in 2014, possibly 2015,” said MP Graham. The Department of Public Works then proposed to reopen the building in time for Canada 150 observances in 2017. It remains closed, and is now scheduled to reopen in 2019.

“I’ve heard numerous rumours about an elevator built in West Block that didn’t go down far enough, resulting in a million dollars’ worth of spare parts that can’t be used because they are custom made,” said Graham: “Can you confirm or deny this? Is there any truth to this?”

“There’s no truth that I am aware of to that, no,” replied Assistant Deputy Minister Wright.

The department in an internal 2018 audit Evaluation Of The Real Property Services Program estimated its projects run late and over-budget about 40 percent of the time. “There are areas of concern such as the costs and timeliness of projects,” wrote staff: “Results indicate there is a potential for improvements.”

By Staff