Labour groups, opposition parties press Liberals to fix GIS clawback in fiscal update

Fri., December 10, 2021


OTTAWA — The federal Liberals are under increasing pressure to fix an issue in the pandemic safety net that has rolled back or cut off benefits to low-income seniors.

About 83,000 seniors lost a key income support this year because they received emergency aid last year, money that bumped their earnings above the threshold to qualify for the guaranteed income supplement.

Thousands more have seen a cut in GIS payments for similar reasons.

The Canadian Labour Congress is calling on the government to use next week's economic update to end the clawback.

Opposition MPs are also peppering the government with questions in the House of Commons over the issue, demanding the Liberals detail how and when they'll address it.

Seniors Minister Kamal Khera tells the Commons that the government is trying to find the best solution to help those affected.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2021.