Media Release: NDP will table motion to raise Old Age Security payments for all seniors

OTTAWA – On Wednesday, NDP critic for Seniors Rachel Blaney (North Island—Powell River) will call on all members of parliament to support seniors by increasing Old Age Security (OAS) payments in the wake of the affordability crisis. But, instead of supporting some of Canada’s most vulnerable, the Liberals and Conservatives have teamed up to deny people the help they need.
“With the rising costs of groceries and mortgages and sky-high inflation rates, people are having an extremely difficult time keeping up. And seniors are some of the most impacted by how expensive everything has become, especially women,” said Blaney. “It’s really discouraging for a lot of people to see how the Liberals and Conservatives abandon people once they retire.”
Last summer, seniors 75 and older received a ten per cent increase to their OAS payments – but those under 75 haven’t received an extra cent. Blaney’s motion would have ensured that all seniors would receive the increase, rather than going forward with the Liberals two-tiered system that leaves out more than two million people.

February 1st, 2023

NDP will table motion to raise Old Age Security payments for all seniors

OTTAWA – On Wednesday, NDP critic for Seniors Rachel Blaney (North Island—Powell River) will call on all members of parliament to support seniors by increasing Old Age Security (OAS) payments in the wake of the affordability crisis. But, instead of supporting some of Canada’s most vulnerable, the Liberals and Conservatives have teamed up to deny people the help they need.

“With the rising costs of groceries and mortgages and sky-high inflation rates, people are having an extremely difficult time keeping up. And seniors are some of the most impacted by how expensive everything has become, especially women,” said Blaney. “It’s really discouraging for a lot of people to see how the Liberals and Conservatives abandon people once they retire.”

Last summer, seniors 75 and older received a ten per cent increase to their OAS payments – but those under 75 haven’t received an extra cent. Blaney’s motion would have ensured that all seniors would receive the increase, rather than going forward with the Liberals two-tiered system that leaves out more than two million people.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, as prices started to rise, New Democrats have been calling for an increase OAS for all seniors. But the Liberals have refused.

“No Canadian should live below the bar of dignity, especially when they retire. You shouldn’t have to worry about if you can afford medications or fill your cupboards once you retire,” added Blaney. “But the Liberals and Conservatives prefer to penny pinch on the backs of people who need help the most. The Liberals are leaving retirees to fend for themselves, and Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives not only don’t want to get seniors more support, but they say they plan to cut all Canadians’ pensions.

“All seniors face higher grocery costs, not just those 75 and older, but the Liberals are supporting a two-tiered system. New Democrats will keep fighting to make sure all seniors are treated with respect and to end this absurd system by getting an OAS increase for all seniors.”

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The Bureau: NDP’s Jenny Kwan Demands Ottawa Release Secret Police Deal With Beijing, Continued Secrecy is a Threat to Diaspora Safety

A senior New Democratic Party parliamentarian has formally demanded that the Carney government release the full text of its secret law enforcement agreement with China’s Ministry of Public Security, echoing a set of facts The Bureau has been reporting for months, while warning that Ottawa’s continued refusal to disclose the deal is fueling legitimate fear among diaspora communities who have experienced or fear transnational repression by the Chinese state.

Jenny Kwan, MP for Vancouver East and one of Parliament’s most prominent voices on Hong Kong and Chinese diaspora issues, wrote to Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree and Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand on May 12, calling the government’s silence on the agreement “particularly troubling” given what she described as the “problematic history of China’s foreign interference in Canada.”

“I’m calling on Mark Carney govt to stop hiding RCMP–MPS MOU signed in Beijing,” Kwan posted to X. “Reports that RCMP needs Beijing’s “permission” to show this MOU to Canadians are a threat to our sovereignty.”

The letter, addressed to both ministers, focuses on the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in combating crimes signed between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Ministry of Public Security during Prime Minister Mark Carney’s January 2026 visit to Beijing.

*Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.todayville.com/calgary/ndps-jenny-kwan-demands-ottawa-release-secret-police-deal-with-beijing/

CP24 News: Human rights advocates sound alarm as court documents reveal extent Chinese police harassed Canadian residents

OTTAWA – Security experts, human rights advocates and politicians are sounding the alarm about the renewal of a co-operation agreement between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and China’s Ministry of Public Security as troubling details surface at a foreign interference trial.

Court documents filed at the trial of alleged double agent William Majcher reveals that at least 25 Canadian residents were targeted by Chinese police under an anti-corruption program, which doubled as a tool of transnational repression. The affidavit shows that the Chinese nationals may have been forced to return to their homeland against their will to face punishment for alleged financial crimes.

Some of them would have faced life imprisonment, or even a death sentence.

The agreement signed in Beijing also included a memorandum of understanding (MOU) titled “Cooperation in Combating Crimes between the RCMP and the MPS.” In the joint statement, the two sides “committed to strengthening law enforcement co-operation to combat corruption and transnational crimes, including telecommunication and cyber fraud and illegal synthetic drugs in accordance with their respective laws.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Vancouver NDP MP Jenny Kwan wrote an open letter to express serious concerns about the government’s lack of transparency in signing the MOU.

Kwan wrote that it is “troubling” that the federal government has “declined to proactively disclose the police co-operation agreement, despite its significant implications for public safety, civil liberties, diaspora communities and national sovereignty.”

In a social media post, she noted that other agreements the prime minister signed while in Beijing were released publicly, such as an economic and trade co-operation roadmap.

*Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.cp24.com/news/canada/2026/05/12/human-rights-advocates-sound-alarm-as-court-documents-reveal-extent-chinese-police-harassed-canadian-residents/

Canadian Press: Public deserves answers on Canada-China policing agreement, New Democrat MP says

OTTAWA - NDP public safety critic Jenny Kwan says Canadians deserve to know what information the RCMP is sharing under an agreement with China's Ministry of Public Security.

In an open letter, Kwan urged Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand to disclose the full text of the memorandum of understanding.

Kwan said in the letter she wants to know if safeguards are in place to prevent Canadian information from being used against dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists or diaspora communities.

She also said she wonders what oversight mechanisms exist to ensure compliance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Canadian privacy laws.

Public statements indicate the memorandum concerns co-operation on transnational crime, cybercrime, narcotics, corruption and the establishment of bilateral law enforcement working groups, Kwan noted in her letter dated May 12.

She said the fact the text is being kept under wraps has created widespread uncertainty and legitimate concerns among Canadians, particularly within Hong Kong, Uyghur, Tibetan and broader Chinese diaspora communities dealing with transnational repression by Beijing.

*Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/politics/public-deserves-answers-on-canada-china-policing-agreement-new-democrat-mp-says/article_fe866794-7ba8-57bc-8957-2b482a860eb2.html