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OAS Petition: Protection, Not Poverty

May, 2012 - Old Age Security is under attack by the Harper government. Reject changes to the age of eligibility for Old Age Security – print and circulate this petition to protect OAS.

Petition to the House of Commons: Protection, NOT Poverty

• Old Age Security (OAS) is a monthly pension available to Canadians aged 65 and older who apply and meet certain requirements;

• There are approximately 5 million seniors receiving OAS, including 1.7 million seniors receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) due to their extremely low income;

• The maximum amount a single senior can receive from OAS and GIS combined is currently $15,270 per year; far below the $22,637* (*Source: Citizenship and Immigration 2012 LICO for one-person family unit) per year needed to keep Canadian seniors out of poverty;

• Changing the age of eligibility for OAS will disproportionately impact middle-income Canadian Seniors by approximately $12,000 over two years.  When combined with GIS, low-income Canadian seniors will lose approximately $30,000 over 2 years;

• Cutting OAS will also increase costs to the provinces; and

• The OAS/GIS is sustainable relative to the economy.

Therefore:

We, the undersigned, strongly urge Parliament to:

• Reject changes to the age of eligibility for Old Age Security;

• Increase OAS and GIS to end seniors’ poverty; and

• Ensure that retirement benefits are indexed to the real cost of living.