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Government of Canada ends entitlements for prisoners
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, JUNE 1, 2010—The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, and Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu today announced the tabling of a bill that will amend the Old Age Security Act and terminate payment of Old Age Security (OAS) benefits to convicted criminals. As a result of the action of our government, inmates will no longer be able to collect taxpayer-funded Old Age Security payments,” said Minister Finley. “Our government committed to taking immediate action to stop these payments, and Canadians know that when our government makes a commitment, we follow through.” “It’s great to see that this government is putting victims and taxpayers first ahead of criminals. The suspension of OAS benefit payments to inmates does just that,” said Ms. Sharon Rosenfeldt, President of Victims of Violence. “I commend Prime Minister Harper and Minister Diane Finley for taking leadership on this important issue and ending entitlements for convicted criminals.” “The Government is taking action to put an end to entitlements for prisoners and ensure that those Canadians who have spent their lives working hard and playing by the rules receive the benefits they deserve,” said Senator Boisvenu. In Canada’s Jobs and Growth Budget, the Government stressed that it is committed to treating taxpayers fairly. The OAS program is funded through general tax revenues and is designed to help seniors meet their immediate, basic needs in retirement. Since an inmate’s basic needs, such as food and shelter, are already met and paid by public funds, there is no reason for Canadian taxpayers to also fund income support for inmates through OAS benefits. Implementation will begin with inmates who are incarcerated in federal penitentiaries for two years or more. We will work with the provinces and territories to continue implementation in provincial and territorial institutions for inmates serving sentences of greater than 90 days.
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