🟡 45th Parliament, 1st Session — No upcoming sitting dates scheduled
C-207 Federal Social Policy

C-207 (45-1) - An Act to amend the Canada Pension Plan

Chamber

commons

Stage

1st Reading

Introduced

Jun 10, 2025

Progress

This bill requires two-thirds of CPP provinces to consent before any province can create its own separate pension plan.

Key Changes

  • Adds a new consent requirement before a province can withdraw from the CPP to create its own pension plan
  • Requires at least two-thirds of CPP-participating provinces to approve a withdrawal
  • The consenting provinces must also represent at least two-thirds of the total population of CPP provinces
  • Comes into force 180 days after royal assent, not immediately

Gotchas

  • Quebec already has its own provincial pension plan (QPP) and is exempt from this requirement, as the bill only applies to provinces not already providing a comprehensive pension plan
  • The bill is a direct response to ongoing discussions in Alberta about potentially withdrawing from the CPP and creating an Alberta Pension Plan
  • The two-thirds population threshold means that large provinces like Ontario or British Columbia would have significant influence over whether any province can opt out
  • As a private member's bill, it faces a lower likelihood of passing without government support
  • The 180-day delay before coming into force gives provinces and the federal government time to adjust to the new rules if passed

Who's Affected

  • Canadians who contribute to and receive CPP benefits
  • Provincial governments considering creating their own pension plans (e.g., Alberta)
  • Retirees and workers in CPP provinces who could be affected by a province's withdrawal
  • Federal and provincial pension administrators

Summary

Bill C-207 amends the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) to make it harder for a province to opt out and create its own provincial pension plan. Currently, a province can withdraw from the CPP by establishing a 'comprehensive pension plan' of its own (as Quebec has done with the QPP). This bill would require that at least two-thirds of the provinces still participating in the CPP — representing at least two-thirds of their combined population — must agree before any new province can do the same. The bill was introduced in response to concerns that if a large province like Alberta were to leave the CPP, it could reduce the pension benefits or financial stability of Canadians remaining in CPP provinces. The preamble states that Parliament believes Canadians should keep the pension benefits they have earned. The bill was introduced by MP Heather McPherson and comes into force 180 days after receiving royal assent. It is a private member's bill, meaning it was introduced by an individual MP rather than the government.

Automatically generated from bill text using Claude

Vibes

0 responses

Support 0
Neutral 0
Oppose 0