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Bill C-54

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42-43-44 ELIZABETH II

CHAPTER 33

An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act, the Canada Pension Plan, the Children's Special Allowances Act and the Unemployment Insurance Act

[Assented to 13th July, 1995]

      Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

R.S., c. O-9; R.S., c. 34 (1st Supp.), cc. 1, 51 (4th Supp.); 1990, c. 39; 1991, c. 44; 1992, cc. 24, 48

OLD AGE SECURITY ACT

1. (1) The definition ``applicant'' in section 2 of the English version of the Old Age Security Act is replaced by the following:

``applicant''
« demandeur »

``applicant'' means a person who has applied, or is deemed to have applied, for a benefit, or with respect to whom an application for a benefit has been waived;

(2) Section 2 of the Act is amended by adding the following in alphabetical order:

``Review Tribunal''
« tribunal de révision »

``Review Tribunal'' means a Canada Pension Plan - Old Age Security Review Tribunal established under section 82 of the Canada Pension Plan;

(3) Section 2 of the French version of the Act is amended by adding the following in alphabetical order:

« demandeur »
``applicant''

« demandeur » L'auteur d'une demande de prestation. Y est assimilée la personne dont la demande de prestation est réputée reçue ou celle qui est dispensée de présenter une telle demande.

2. Section 5 of the Act is renumbered as subsection 5(1) and is amended by adding the following:

Application deemed to have been made and approved

(2) Where a spouse's allowance ceases to be payable to a person by reason of that person having reached sixty-five years of age, the Minister may deem an application under subsection (1) to have been made by that person and approved, on the day on which the person reached that age.

3. (1) Paragraph 8(2)(a) of the Act is replaced by the following:

    (a) a day one year before the day on which the application was received, and

(2) Subsection (1) shall come into force on the first day of the fourth month after the month in which this Act is assented to.

4. The Act is amended by adding the following after section 9:

Request that pension cease to be payable

9.1 (1) Any pensioner may make a request to the Minister in writing that their pension cease to be payable.

When pension ceases to be payable

(2) A pension shall cease to be payable on the last day of the month in which the Minister approves a request under subsection (1).

Request for reinstatement

(3) A pensioner whose pension has ceased to be payable under subsection (2) may make a request in writing to the Minister that their pension be reinstated.

When reinstatement effective

(4) A pension shall be reinstated and payment shall commence in the month following the month in which the Minister receives a request under subsection (3) or in the month chosen by the pensioner in the request, whichever is later.

5. Subsection 11(2) of the Act is replaced by the following:

Requirement for application

(2) Subject to subsection (4), no supplement may be paid to a pensioner for a month in any fiscal year unless an application for payment of a supplement has been made by the pensioner and payment of the supplement for months in that year has been approved under this Part.

Application deemed to be made and approved

(3) Where a spouse's allowance ceases to be payable to a person by reason of that person having reached sixty-five years of age, the Minister may deem an application under subsection (1) to have been made by that person and approved, on the day on which the person reached that age.

Waiver of application

(4) Where a supplement may be paid to a pensioner for the last month in a fiscal year, the Minister may waive the requirement for an application for payment of a supplement for any month or months in the following fiscal year.

Notice where subsequent application required

(5) Where the requirement for an application for payment of a supplement for any month or months in a fiscal year has been waived under subsection (4) and an application is required for payment of a supplement for any subsequent month or months in that fiscal year, the Minister shall, not later than fifteen days before that subsequent month or the first of those subsequent months, notify the pensioner in writing that an application is required.

Cancellation of waiver

(6) Notwithstanding that the requirement for an application for payment of a supplement for any month or months has been waived under subsection (4), the Minister may require that the pensioner make an application for payment of a supplement for that month or for any of those months, and in such a case, the Minister shall, not later than fifteen days before that month or the first of those months, notify the pensioner in writing that an application is required.

Limitations on payment of supplement

(7) No supplement may be paid to a pensioner for

    (a) any month that is more than eleven months before the month in which the application is received or is deemed to have been made or in which the requirement for an application has been waived, as the case may be;

    (b) any month for which no pension may be paid to the pensioner;

    (c) any month throughout which the pensioner is absent from Canada having commenced to be absent from Canada either before or after becoming a pensioner and having remained outside Canada before that month for six consecutive months, exclusive of the month in which the pensioner left Canada; or

    (d) any month throughout which the pensioner is not resident in Canada, having ceased to reside in Canada, either before or after becoming a pensioner, six months before the beginning of that month.

6. Section 14 of the Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (1):

Minister may estimate income

(1.1) Where the requirement for an application for payment of a supplement for any month has been waived under subsection 11(4), the Minister may, on the basis of the information available to the Minister,

    (a) estimate the applicant's income for the base calendar year; and

    (b) in the case of an applicant who is a person described in subsection 15(2), estimate the income of the applicant's spouse for the base calendar year.

Statement of income where income estimated

(1.2) Where a person's income for a base calendar year has been estimated under subsection (1.1), the Minister may require that the person make a statement to the Minister of their income for any month in that year.

7. (1) Section 15 of the Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (1):

Statement where application waived

(1.1) Where the requirement for an application for payment of a supplement for any month has been waived under subsection 11(4) and the person to whom the supplement is paid married during the previous fiscal year, that person shall notify the Minister without delay of the date of the marriage, the name and address of their spouse and whether, to their knowledge, the spouse is a pensioner.

(2) Subsection 15(2) of the Act is amended by striking out the word ``or'' at the end of paragraph (a), by adding the word ``or'' at the end of paragraph (b) and by adding the following after paragraph (b):

    (c) the income of the applicant's spouse for the base calendar year has been estimated under subsection 14(1.1).

(3) Paragraph 15(3)(a) of the Act is replaced by the following:

    (a) no statement or application as described in subsection (2) has been filed by or received from the spouse of that person and no estimate of the income of the spouse of that person has been made under subsection 14(1.1), or

8. Subsection 16(1) of the Act is replaced by the following:

Consideration of application or waiver

16. (1) The Minister shall, without delay after receiving an application for payment of a supplement under subsection 11(2) or after waiving the requirement for an application for payment of a supplement under subsection 11(4), as the case may be, consider whether the applicant is entitled to be paid a supplement, and may approve payment of a supplement and fix the amount of the supplement, or may determine that no supplement may be paid.

9. (1) The portion of subsection 18(1) of the Act before paragraph (a) is replaced by the following:

Adjustment of payments of supplements

18. Where it is determined that the income for a base calendar year, calculated as required by this Part (in this section referred to as the ``actual income''), of an applicant for a supplement does not accord with the income of the applicant (in this section referred to as the ``shown income'') calculated as required by this Part on the basis of a statement or an estimate made under section 14, the following adjustments shall be made:

(2) Subsections 18(2) and (3) of the Act are repealed.

R.S., c. 34 (1st Supp.), s. 2(2)

10. Subsection 19(4) of the Act is replaced by the following:

Must apply annually

(4) Subject to subsection (4.1), no spouse's allowance may be paid under this section to the spouse of a pensioner in any fiscal year unless a joint application of the pensioner and the spouse, or an application described in section 30, has been made for payment of a spouse's allowance in respect of that fiscal year and payment of the spouse's allowance has been approved under this Part.

Waiver of requirement for application

(4.1) Where a spouse's allowance may be paid to the spouse of a pensioner for the last month in a fiscal year, the Minister may waive the requirement for an application referred to in subsection (4) for any month or months in the following fiscal year.

Notice where subsequent application required

(4.2) Where the requirement for an application for any month or months in a fiscal year has been waived under subsection (4.1) and an application is required for payment of a spouse's allowance for any subsequent month or months in that fiscal year, the Minister shall, not later than fifteen days before that subsequent month or the first of those subsequent months, notify the spouse in writing that an application is required.

Cancellation of waiver

(4.3) Notwithstanding that the requirement for an application for any month or months has been waived under subsection (4.1), the Minister may require that an application referred to in subsection (4) be made for payment of a spouse's allowance for that month or for any of those months, and in such a case, the Minister shall, not later than fifteen days before that month or the first of those months, notify the spouse in writing that an application is required.

R.S., c. 34 (1st Supp.), s. 4

11. (1) Subsection 21(4) of the Act is replaced by the following:

Must apply annually

(4) Subject to subsections (5) and (5.1), no spouse's allowance may be paid to a widow under this section in any fiscal year unless the widow has made an application for a spouse's allowance in respect of that fiscal year and payment of the spouse's allowance has been approved under this Part.

(2) Section 21 of the Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (5):

Waiver of requirement for application

(5.1) Where a spouse's allowance may be paid for the last month in a fiscal year to a widow, the Minister may waive the requirement for an application for payment of a spouse's allowance for any month or months in the following fiscal year.

Notice where subsequent application required

(5.2) Where the requirement for an application for payment of a spouse's allowance for any month or months in a fiscal year has been waived under subsection (5.1) and an application is required for payment of a spouse's allowance for any subsequent month or months in that fiscal year, the Minister shall, not later than fifteen days before that subsequent month or the first of those subsequent months, notify the widow in writing that an application is required.

Cancellation of waiver

(5.3) Notwithstanding that the requirement for an application for payment of a spouse's allowance for any month or months has been waived under subsection (5.1), the Minister may require that the widow make such an application for that month or for any of those months, and in such a case, the Minister shall, not later than fifteen days before that month or the first of those months, notify the widow in writing that an application is required.

12. The portion of subsection 22(2) of the Act before paragraph (a) is replaced by the following:

Effect on supplement under Part II

(2) Where, under this Part, an application has been made and approved or the requirement for an application has been waived in respect of the spouse of a pensioner for any month in a payment quarter, the amount of the supplement that may be paid for that month to the pensioner, in lieu of the amount of the supplement provided under Part II for that month, is the difference between

13. Section 23 of the Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (1):

Commenceme nt where waiver of application

(1.1) Where the requirement for an application for payment of a spouse's allowance has been waived under this Part, the payment of the spouse's allowance shall not commence more than eleven months before the month in which the requirement for an application is waived.

14. Subsection 24(1) of the Act is replaced by the following:

Consideration of application or waiver

24. (1) The Minister shall, without delay after receiving an application for a spouse's allowance under subsection 19(4) or 21(4) or after waiving the requirement for an application for a spouse's allowance under subsection 19(4.1) or 21(5.1), as the case may be, consider whether the applicant is entitled to be paid a spouse's allowance, and may approve payment of a spouse's allowance and fix the amount of benefits that may be paid, or may determine that no spouse's allowance may be paid.

15. Subsection 26(1) of the Act is replaced by the following:

Application of Part II

26. (1) Sections 6, 14, 15 and 18 apply, with such modifications as the circumstances require, in respect of a spouse's allowance under this Part and in respect of any application or any waiver of the requirement for an application for a spouse's allowance.

R.S., c. 34 (1st Supp.), s. 7, c. 51 (4th Supp.), s. 15

16. Section 28 of the Act and the heading before it are replaced by the following: