‘Inconceivable’ the Liberals have not eliminated archaic, discriminatory ‘gold digger’ clauses from survivor pensions for veterans, say advocates

Veterans advocates express frustration at the Liberal government's failure to fulfill a 2015 election promise to change a law that creates 'heart-rending' and 'intolerable' choices for couples.

Korean War veterans gather at the National War Memorial on July 27, 2022. The existing Optional Survivor Benefit allows a veteran to provide their spouse with a percentage of their pension after their death, but only if they give up that same percentage for the rest of their life. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

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BY KEVIN PHILIPUPILLAI

August 31, 2022

Veterans groups and parliamentary critics are urging the Liberals to live up to a 2015 election promise to remove restrictions to survivor pension payouts that NDP MP Rachel Blaney says are “sexist” and “archaic” and discriminate against couples who get married late in life. In a new costin...

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