Pension discrimination

[Jack Neilson]

Mark Bergin/The Whig-Standard
"To think some woman's going to marry an older man just for $773 a month, well, they'd be better off going to bloody Las Vegas," says Reg Warkentin at home in Kingston with his wife Hilde

Archaic pension rule tarnishes retired major's golden years
Marrying over 60 puts limits on spouse's entitlements

Full story http://www.thewhig.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=128906&catname=Local+News&classif=News+Alert

 

[geo]

well.... have mixed feelings over this one.

If you divorce your wife, before or after you retire, your existing pension plan will be taken into account in the divorce settlement....

If you are already a pensioner when you meet & marry your lady friend - should she be entitled to receiving a your pension benefits when you pass away?...

I would be more inclined to say that a quit sum residual amount should be paid out - but not necessarily a full pension.

 

[Old Sweat]

The story in the Whig-Standard has the reason for the restriction wrong. When Canadian military pensions were introduced around the start of the last century, the government noted the problems the US government was having with young ladies marrying aged civil war veterans to collect the pension and survivor benefits. (In those years 60 was very old.) In an effort to stamp this out, the restriction was imposed.

From time to time this comes up, and it was my impression that the government intended to remove the restriction.