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Pensions

Question period turned to problems with the Cúram software system used to pay old age security pensions, which the Bloc Québécois said has left 33,000 seniors without the benefits they are owed, despite warnings about the system raised more than a year and a half earlier. The Liberals said the modernized system delivers payments on time and reliably to millions of seniors, and that the backlog is going down each month as errors are corrected; one minister noted the old system had put benefits at risk. The Bloc pressed the government to pay the affected seniors what they are owed.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

4 statements

Andréanne Larouche

Bloc Québécois

Linked statement

“A software problem is still stopping 33,000 seniors from getting their pensions. The government was warned about this over a year and a half ago. How can the Liberals say they take this seriously?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, 33,000 people are still having trouble receiving their old age security benefits because of the Cúram software, and the federal government is telling us that every effort is being made to fix the problem. The public servants’ union warned of issues with the Cúram system as early as March. I am not talking about March 2026; I am talking about March 2025. That was over a year and a half ago, yet 33,000 people are still having issues receiving their pensions. At this point, how can the Liberals keep saying that they are taking the problem seriously?

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Patty Hajdu

Liberal
“Our updated system gives millions of Canadians the monthly support they need. It is reliable and pays benefits on time without mistakes.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the modernized system delivers essential affordability measures to ensure that millions of Canadians receive the support they rely on every month. Choosing modernization means choosing a stable and reliable system, a system that delivers benefits on time and without mistakes.

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Andréanne Larouche

Bloc Québécois
“The government says its pension system is working, but 33,000 seniors are still not getting their old age pension. The Liberals need to stop making excuses and pay them their money.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, after all this time, it is mind-boggling to hear the Liberals boasting about the Cúram system when there are still 33,000 people who are not receiving the old age pension they are owed. The Liberals treat these people like a statistical aberration, but so many retirees have been deprived of their money that they could fill one and a half Bell Centres to capacity. It is appalling that so many seniors have been abandoned for so long. The time for excuses ended months ago. Now is the time for solutions. When will the Liberals finally get that into their heads?

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Joël Lightbound

Liberal
“The backlog of pension payments is real and needs to be fixed. It is going down every month as we fix mistakes. We had to switch to a new system because the old one put seniors' benefits at risk. Millions of seniors are getting paid, and we will keep working to clear the backlog.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague. She is right. The backlogs we are seeing need to be reduced. They keep going down, month after month, because every effort is being made to respond to these errors and ensure that all seniors who are entitled to old age security receive accurate payments. However, there are 7.7 million seniors in Canada who have been receiving their benefits since the system was implemented in March 2025. It is important to note that the alternative was an outdated system that jeopardized the benefits seniors rely on. Switching to a new system was essential. We will keep working to reduce the backlog, as we have been doing for months.

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