Summary#
This bill changes the Old Age Security Act’s definition of “income” to update a cross‑reference to the Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1. It clarifies that a specific one‑time payment created by that budget law is deducted from “income” when calculating Old Age Security–related benefits (Bill Clause 1; OAS Act s.2 “income”; Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1 s.276).
- Clarifies that the one‑time payment under Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1, s.276 is not counted as income for Old Age Security Act purposes (Bill Clause 1).
- Helps prevent reductions to means‑tested benefits (e.g., Guaranteed Income Supplement, Allowances) that use the OAS Act income definition (OAS Act s.2 “income”).
- Makes no new program or tax change; it is a technical amendment to a definition (Bill Clause 1).
- Applies only “to the extent” the payment was included in a person’s tax income, because the OAS Act uses Income Tax Act income as a starting point (OAS Act s.2 “income”).
What it means for you#
- Households (seniors affected by the one‑time payment)
- The one‑time payment established in Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1, s.276 will be deducted from “income” used to calculate Old Age Security–related benefits, if it was included in your tax income (Bill Clause 1; OAS Act s.2 “income”).
- This helps avoid a lower Guaranteed Income Supplement, Allowance, or Allowance for the Survivor due to that payment (OAS Act s.2 “income”).
- Timing: Data unavailable.
- Old Age Security and GIS recipients who did not receive the one‑time payment
- No change to your benefit calculation from this bill (Bill Clause 1).
- Businesses and employers
- No impact (Bill Clause 1).
- Provinces, territories, and municipalities
- No impact (Bill Clause 1).
Expenses#
Estimated net cost: Data unavailable.
- No direct appropriation or new program spending in the bill; it amends a definition (Bill Clause 1).
- Possible fiscal effect arises only from excluding the one‑time payment from income when calculating Old Age Security–related benefits; no official estimate provided. Data unavailable.
- No fiscal note identified. Data unavailable.
Proponents' View#
- Clarifies the law by correcting the reference to the exact section of the Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1 that created the one‑time payment (Bill Clause 1; Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1 s.276).
- Protects low‑income seniors from unintended reductions in Guaranteed Income Supplement and related benefits by expressly deducting that one‑time payment from OAS Act income (OAS Act s.2 “income”; Bill Clause 1).
- Aligns the statute with the budget measure it references and reduces room for administrative error or disputes over eligibility calculations (Bill Clause 1).
- Imposes no new administrative burden on households or businesses and does not change tax rules under the Income Tax Act (Bill Clause 1; OAS Act s.2 “income”).
Opponents' View#
- The bill is narrowly focused and may be redundant if administrators already excluded the payment; the bill provides no evidence of miscalculation to date. Data unavailable.
- No public cost estimate makes it hard to gauge fiscal impact, even if small or time‑limited. Data unavailable.
- Using cross‑references to another act can create future confusion if that act is amended again; a more self‑contained description could be more stable over time (Bill Clause 1).
- Provides no ongoing benefit change beyond this one‑time payment and does not address broader issues with Old Age Security or the Guaranteed Income Supplement (Bill Clause 1).