QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Employment and Social Development
Registered Retirement Income Funds
October 7, 2025
Welcome, Secretary of State McLean. As you’re aware, your party ran on the promise of reducing the minimum withdrawal from Registered Retirement Income Funds, or RRIFs, by 25% for one year in order to temporarily protect seniors from volatile market conditions. The Canadian Association of Retired Persons have long called mandatory withdraw rules for RRIFs — which have not been revised since 1978, when people died younger and investments paid more — a very serious financial strain on seniors. In an interview in The Globe and Mail this summer, you said the government plans to keep its election promise.
Madam Secretary, seniors are waiting. Will this promise of a one-time reduction be implemented, and will your government also consider an overhaul of the RRIF withdrawal regime to better reflect the reality of seniors today and tomorrow?
Thank you for the question. We know that the Guaranteed Income Supplement, Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan, as well as seniors’ private personal retirement savings, make up the total portfolio of what seniors rely on for their retirement, and this government is committed to our mission of protecting the dignity and security of those who built this country through a lifetime of hard work.
We know these programs provided by the government, Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement, are crucial. These are social safety nets that Canadians rely on and have been able to rely on for decades, and we are committed to protecting those.
This government is focused on bringing down costs, keeping communities safe, diversifying trade and building one Canadian economy for Canadians and seniors, and we will continue to review and consider all measures that make life more affordable for them.
Thank you. I wish you had answered the question on RRIFs, but regardless, I have a different question.
Another election promise was to put in place an automatic tax‑filing system, starting with low-income households and seniors. We know that 430,000 seniors in Canada live below the poverty line today, and the complex application process, lack of awareness and heavy administrative burdens related to qualifying for benefits contribute to this poverty.
Madam Secretary, are you committed to providing automatic tax filing for low-income seniors so they can access the benefits they need and are entitled to and are able to live with the dignity that they deserve?
Thank you for the question. Tax filing is not under my portfolio. I believe it’s under Secretary of State Long’s or Minister Champagne’s.
Regarding what we are doing through Employment and Social Development Canada to ensure that seniors have access to programs, we are modernizing the platform used to access Old Age Security, Employment Insurance and Canada Pension Plan benefits. This is an effort to streamline it to make it more efficient, secure and accessible for seniors to be able to access seniors’ programming, services and benefits. Thank you.
