Issue #2, 2018 Hostile legislation outflanks opportunity for pension increase he UK Government in March outflanked the strategy devised by Tthe All-Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen British Pensions to achieve the annulment of the Statutory Instrument legislation that freezes our pensions each spring – a plan that had the support of four political parties in Westminster including Labour, as detailed on the front page of the last issue of JUSTICE. The Government incorporated an additional clause into the Statutory Instrument, a clause to increase the allowance paid to caregivers. As there is no way to split or revoke a specific part of a Statutory Instrument, no MP could in good conscience veto the entire legislation as doing so would have denied increases (‘frozen’ pensioners) within one piece of uprating for at least the current financial to fulltime carers in Britain. undividable legislation. Just a few days ear- year. ICBP is now investigating ways to The International Consortium of British lier, Parliament had awarded upratings to block the repetition ever again of such an Pensioners plans to make a great deal of every pensioner around the world for the incongruous maneuver. noise in the UK about this Government financial year beginning April 6, 2018. We appreciate that many CABP sting – this unjustifiable tying together of It was a frustrating outcome for all members had asked friends in the UK increases in benefits for one group (carers) who worked hard to put everything to petition their local MP to support the with decreases in benefits for another group in place so we could achieve pension eagerly anticipated annulment. Where’s Waldo Scarf Man? INSIDE Chairman’s column...... 4

Action in Canada...... 4 & 5

New ICBP partner ...... 6

AGM Notice...... 7

Alberta Info Meeting ...... 11

Mailbag...... 12

For the answer, please see p .5 .

Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners Visit us at www.BritishPensions.com JUSTICE is published by: Editorial CANADIAN ALLIANCE OF BRITISH PENSIONERS by Rosalind Tosh National Office: 202–4800 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON M9A 1B1 Tel: 416-253-6402 • Toll free: 1-888-591-3964 Email: [email protected] 1948 British Pathé news- Web: www.BritishPensions.com reel shows the ‘Dominion OFFICE HOURS: Premiers’ posing with Tuesday-Friday, 10 am to 2 pm (Eastern Time) A King George VI in Buckingham Editor: Rosalind Tosh • justice@britishpensions .com Palace. The voice-over says the Advertising: Malcolm Campbell Commonwealth leaders are in malcolmcampbell@britishpensions .com London to discuss “the great- © Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners est problem facing the British Commonwealth” – a problem that is then identified as being “the excessive population in Britain.” LOCAL CONTACTS An Australian politician is shown offering the solution: Britain’s popu- ONTARIO: lation “should be redistributed among the other countries of the British GTA & Surround: Margaret Wells Commonwealth.” We see a map of the UK overlaid with the caption “94,000 Tel: 905-450-9028 • Email: mawells@pathcom com. Square Miles: 50 Million People”, followed by the combined maps of Canada, Orillia/Barrie: Alan Llewellyn Tel: 705-329-0894 • Email: alwell04@yahoo .ca South Africa, Southern Rhodesia and Australia and the words “7½ Million Oshawa: George Morley Square Miles: 23 Million People”. Tel: 905-697-3783 • Email: morlege@gmail .com Even without the newsreel’s title – Should 20 Million Emigrate? – its message Ottawa: Tony Bockman Tel: 613-627-9675 • Email: tony .bockman@primus .ca to the people of Britain is abundantly clear: Leave the UK. Go live in one of her Parry Sound-Muskoka: Peter Sanguinetti “vast Dominions.” This message was to be repeated again and again in various Tel: 705-477-2489 • Email: peter .sanguinetti7@gmail .com formats throughout the next several decades. Waterloo: Roy Godber It is no exaggeration to say that Britons were “seduced by government pro- Tel: 226-647-6069 • Email: rgodber@rogers com. paganda films in glorious technicolour” (BBC documentaryTen Pound Poms, Windsor: Ian Spencer Tel: 519-739-0808 • Email: ispencer21067@gmail .com 2008). The films depicted a bright, beckoning future for those who would answer ALBERTA: Sheila Telford the call – and who could resist such a call when it was sweetened with a fare Tel: 403-245-8541 • Email: sheilatelford@shaw .ca of just £10 for those choosing Australia as their destination. (I still have such a MANITOBA: Geoff Davies Tel: 204-745-6727 • Email: digeoffdavies@mymts net. ticket, one I did not use.) NEW BRUNSWICK: Franklin Cardy Canada, meanwhile, had an ‘open door’ immigration policy strictly for people Tel: 506-529-4280 • Email: fcardy@nb .sympatico ca. from the British Isles. The Canadian Government even provided pre-paid travel NOVA SCOTIA: Michael Alford vouchers that could be reimbursed by the immigrant at their leisure. (This offer I Tel: 902-835-9780 • Email: mjalford@bellaliant net. did take advantage of.) As a result, for the next forty years, Britons would be the PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND: Stephen Lowe Tel: 902-963-4009 • Email: stephen .lowe@bellaliant .net largest group of immigrants in Canada. QUEBEC: Janice Taylor All this background to say that a statement made by SNP MP Mhairi Black in Tel: 514-674-0667 • Email: thejanicetaylor@gmail .com Westminster last fall resonated deeply with me. BRITISH COLUMBIA: Ms Black berated the UK Government for having manipulated many of today’s Greater Vancouver: David Currie Tel: 604-295-6335 • Email: davie53@telus net. ‘frozen’ pensioners into moving overseas by offering them work and deals, and then, Greater Victoria: Alan McFarlane in their old age, applying the hidden sting in the tail: freezing their pensions. Tel: 250-995-9356 • Email: alanmc@shaw .ca “It is so mad,” she said, pointing to the clearest evidence that the Government Nanaimo: Ian Andexser knows an uprated pension is in fact their due: uprating is applied whenever they Tel: 250-758-7594 • Email: ianandexser@gmail .com visit the UK. Okanagan: Jean Amatt Tel: 205-549-6008 • Email:jean .amatt@gmail .com Ms Black, vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen British Sooke Area: Fred Whittaker, Pensions, ended her speech with a plea, “Please work with us to get it right.” Tel: 250-642-4968 • Email: seapeeps@telus .net Amen to that. Surrey/WhiteRock: Sonya Bass Tel: 604-536-4853 • Email:sonyabass@shaw .ca Elsewhere: Ian Andexser Tel: 250-758-7594 • Email: ianandexser@gmail .com OTHER CANADIAN LOCATIONS & INTERNATIONAL: CABP Office: Tel: 416-253-6402 or 1-888-591-3964 Email: info@britishpensions com. Deadline for submissions

Please note: All comments, information, articles, opinions to the next issue: and answers appearing in JUSTICE or provided by CABP or its volunteers are offered in good faith but are not intended to be a 9 July 2018 substitute for informed professional advice .

2 - JUSTICE #2, 2018 Consortium optimizes Commonwealth summit

ig plans that have been in the process of distillation over of Government Meeting taking place in London April 16 to 20. the course of several months are coming to fruition in ICBP has been working for months to develop initiatives Bthe UK just as this issue of JUSTICE goes to press. The that might capitalize on the biennial gathering of powerful International Consortium of British Pensioners will be making Commonwealth figures. The vast majority of frozen pensioners – pension freezing highly visible during the Commonwealth Heads 95 per cent – live in the Commonwealth, with 48 out of the 53 member countries being a victim of Britain’s freezing policy. ICBP director John Duffy received official accreditation as a delegate to the summit as part of the Antigua and Barbuda contingent. He was determined to put into effect a number of planned publicity operations, aided by PHA, our media relations company. We look forward to reporting on these initiatives in the next issue. ICBP and CABP lobbied hard for pension freezing to be raised by participants of every standing at the summit, during both formal and informal gatherings. We are grateful to those CABP members who also lobbied Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others for this to happen. Reminding Canada to reap our pension rights

hen Canada’s Finance Minister Bill Morneau paid freezing must be linked to trade talks with the UK. Behind the a low-profile visit to London in March to promote scenes, our messages have a deep impact. The fact is that the WCanada’s economic partnership with the UK, we more often that Cabinet members and regular MPs hear this launched what we hope became an avalanche of emails and message, the greater precedence they will give to the issue and the tweets to his accounts by inviting online CABP members to add more likely it is that action will indeed be taken. their voices to ours. Please continue to write to your Ottawa MP asking him or her Our messages petitioned Minister Morneau to raise the unac- to lobby their caucus and the Government to heal the damage ceptable fiscal impact of pension freezing on Canada during all to Canada caused by pension freezing in tandem with brokering discussions relating to economic partnerships with Britain. any new economic agreement with the UK. They reminded him that the effect of the UK’s pension freez- ing policy on Canada adds up to hundreds of millions of dollars every single year – and that the British Government has refused decades of requests by Canada for them to cease and desist. Our messages also informed him that right now Canada has an optimum opportunity to achieve this goal at long last, given that the UK is very keen to strike economic and trade deals outside of Photo tweeted by CanadianUK Europe, notably with Canada. You’re not getting the brush-off Members who participated in the ‘avalanche’ exercise may have received a formulaic response from Minister Morneau’s office, basically saying that the pension freezing portfolio is the respon- sibility of another minister, Jean-Yves Duclos. Do not be disheartened by what appears on the surface to be an ignoring of the point we were all making – that pension Canada’s Bill Morneau promoting economic partnerships in London .

JUSTICE #2, 2018 - 3 Chairman’s Column

by Ian Andexser, CABP Chairman

letter I sent out to members in January after receiving As well, not everybody is adept at composing letters – perhaps just three responses to an appeal for help garnered a lot of myself included? I am delighted that a volunteer has stepped for- Afeedback, with messages expressing both censure and sup- ward with a generous offer to help any CABP member with this port. We welcome all your communications, the bouquets and the very effective skill (please see Are you being served? on p.15). We brickbats. We value your input, your suggestions and your views. know that letters from ‘frozen’ pensioners have a huge behind- A number of people said that they had been offended by the-scenes impact in Westminster. the letter. This is indeed regretted, as nothing could have been further from the intended impact. Our hope was to stimulate Comings… enough members into taking action during the critical period CABP’s board has been very busy helping plan, organize and put of time before the March tabling of legislation that would into action various initiatives by the International Consortium of freeze pensions for another year, and before the April gathering British Pensioners – and we are delighted that another pensioner of Commonwealth leaders in London (both of which you can group has now joined the consortium. The man at the helm of read about in this issue). The goal was to have the weight of our the British Caribbean Pensioners Association, John Duffy, is membership visible behind our consortium’s efforts to turn these incredibly passionate about the work and this can only add to the events into profitable opportunities. energy and effectiveness of the global campaign. Other members expressed revitalized energy and commitment, saying that they were ready to do more. Some included a list of …and goings potential businesses in their community where we can promote After three years on our board of directors and a lot more years our association, and this has already resulted in at least one working with the BC group of volunteers, Bill Avery has retired record month for new members joining our ranks. from active duty with CABP. Bill also has served as treasurer to While the effectiveness of the campaign in Britain relies a our consortium. We are grateful to him for his numerous contri- great deal on active support by those who can give it, the fact butions to the cause of pension justice and wish him all the very remains that every member of CABP is valued, regardless of their best in the future. ability to participate. We understand that some do not have the All of us still on the board are looking forward to meeting resources necessary. Some no longer have personal contacts in many of you at CABP’s AGM on June 9 in Ontario (please see the UK, and others do not have access to a computer, making it the notice on p.7) and also in Alberta on June 23 (notice is on difficult to find information such as addresses or the names of p.11). current politicians. Doors open in Ottawa by Stephen Willetts, CABP Director

ABP met with a Global Affairs I also referred to the Commonwealth Canada-UK parliamentary group Canada director in Ottawa in late Heads of Government Meeting that was I met also with a member of the Canada- CMarch. Alain Gendron’s depart- soon to take place in London and our hope United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary ment manages Canada’s diplomatic that Prime Minister Trudeau would act at Association, Edmonton-Riverbend relations and encourages international that time on CABP’s request that he discuss MP Matt Jeneroux. Mr Jeneroux was trade. The conversation began with the issue there with leaders of the other 46 extremely open to the idea of CABP mak- me underscoring the negative financial Commonwealth nations that are frozen, as ing a presentation to the group’s members impact that Britain’s pension freezing well as with Britain’s Theresa May. in Ottawa and said he would propose the policy has on Canada’s economy, an im- I left the meeting feeling optimistic idea at their next meeting. pact (estimated at $1 billion a year) that that Mr Gendron would indeed formally We look forward to presenting them with decades of diplomatic discussions have brief the senior bureaucrats and Cabinet a strong case that they can take up with the failed to remedy. Ministers who would be participating in Canadian Government and also with their I put forward ways in which the these significant events. Nevertheless, know- UK counterparts during joint meetings of Canadian Government might now ing that ours is but one portfolio amongst the parliamentary association. achieve a resolution to the situation, many for the Canadian Government to Our thanks to CABP member Chris including by tying pension uprating to juggle, I do urge CABP members to con- Gowers for the introduc¬tion to Mr their discussions around a new trade deal tinue lobbying their Ottawa MPs in order Jeneroux, his local MP. with the UK following Brexit. to keep the pressure on them to take action.

4 - JUSTICE #2, 2018 ‘Scarf Man’ spotted everywhere Is Ian stalking Canada’s politicians?

ho was the guy in the red and black scarf and what was “ he going to ask? He had his hand up for hours!” These Wwere the burning questions on viewers’ minds at the finish of the televised Q&A session hosted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Nanaimo, BC in February – we know this from postings on social media. CABP Chairman Ian Andexser was highly visible onscreen throughout the two-hour event. Sometimes standing, some- times sitting, and always with an arm high in the air, vigorously attempting to have his question chosen by the PM from among the scores of others that were evidenced by the forest of raised hands in the room.

Fruitful seconds with Official Opposition leader Andrew Scheer .

House of Commons asking the Government what it proposes do- ing about the UK policy that costs Canada so dearly: $1 billion a Photo by Robyn Andexser Photo by Robyn year. Next day, Ian reiterated his points in a follow-up letter.

NDP double take NDP Pensions Critic Scott Duvall was astonished to learn from Ian the extent to which pension freezing hurts Canada’s econo- my. Ian provided him with a package of informational material while Mr Duvall was in BC speaking about his private mem- ber’s bill on pensions (one that aims to put pensioners ahead of secured creditors in the wake of a company’s bankruptcy). A two-hour marathon with PM Justin Trudeau . Similarly, NDP MP Sheila Malcolmson, Ian’s local representa- tive to Ottawa, voiced dismay on hearing about the financial Ian’s valiant efforts met with no success that day, so he instead impact during a two-years-in-the-making meeting with Ian in posed his two-pronged question in a letter to Mr Trudeau, detail- her constituency office. ing the effects of pension freezing on Canada and asking: Would Both MPs appeared open and sympathetic to his plea for their the Prime Minister agree to raise pension freezing at the 2018 support in Canada’s House of Commons. Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London; and would he agree to meet with CABP to talk about the issue, as the Australian PM has done with our sister organization in Australia? Roger Gale, Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen British Pensions, and Baroness Floella Benjamin also wrote to Mr Trudeau, pressing him on both points.

Conservative leader invited to raise issue in Commons A three-and-a-half hour ‘meet-and-greet’ in Duncan, BC af- forded Ian 60 precious seconds with Andrew Scheer, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition in Ottawa. It was clear that Mr Scheer knew there is an issue with British pensions, but thought we didn’t get any pension at all because we live in Canada. Ian clarified the situation, handed over a package Financial impact of pension freezing on Canada shocks Pensions Critic Scott Duvall of information, and suggested Mr Scheer pose a question in the and Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP Sheila Malcolmson .

JUSTICE #2, 2018 - 5 Caribbean group energizes our campaign

he International Consortium of British Pensioners is delighted to welcome a Injustice incited John Duffy to take action brand new pensioners’ group to the vig- T When John Duffy, founder of the British Caribbean Pensioners orous campaign for pension justice: the British Caribbean Pensioners Association. BCPA is Association, went into semi-retirement in 2005 at the age of 57, he and now a partner organization along with British his wife Lindsay left Brighton, headed to the Caribbean and made their Pensions in Australia and CABP. home on the island of Antigua . John still needed to pay three more years BCPA was founded in July 2017 of National Insurance contributions in order to become eligible for a full by ‘frozen’ British pensioner John British State Pension at age 65 and so he set up a direct debit process Duffy, who lives in Antigua & to accomplish this – indeed he actually over-contributed, paying in for Barbuda. the whole eight years . The Caribbean is a It was not until he had been receiving that full pension for a region of particular signifi- number of years that he realized the amount never varied, never cance to our campaign, as increasing in line with pensions in the UK . His enquiries to a great number of people Britain soon revealed the shocking reason . After some research, from the region participat- he discovered that work was being done by pensioners around ed in the mass migration to the world to persuade the UK Government to abolish its unjust, the UK of the 50s and 60s. discriminatory policy of freezing pensions in selected countries . Today many wish to return to their home country; however pension freezing John reached out to the International Consortium of British Pensioners, severely constricts their ability to do so. to British Pensions in Australia and to CABP and then, last July, he In addition, the region illustrates very founded a similar organization for pensioners like himself living in the strikingly both the discrimination and total Caribbean – an organization he anticipates will grow progressively as illogicality of the freezing policy. For example, word spreads . pensioners living in the region’s French and Last November, John jumped in with both feet, participating in ICBP’s Dutch dependencies receive annual uprates lobbying mission in the UK . He promoted pension parity to MPs, to while those in the British dependencies do not. Pensioners in the US Virgin Islands are members of the House of Lords and to the All-Party Parliamentary uprated, but not those in the British Virgin Group on Frozen British Pensions, and he met with the press . He has Islands. And on the 34-square-mile island of now joined ICBP’s board of directors and has committed to executing a St. Martin/St. Maarten, pensioners living on number of campaign operations that will be covered in future issues of the northern half of the tiny island get uprated this magazine, including serving as an accredited delegate to the 2018 every year while those on the southern half do Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting . not. The list goes on, with roughly 50 per cent of the region’s 30 territories being frozen while the other 50 per cent are uprated annually. It is believed that a substantial number of pensioners who do return to the Caribbean af- ter a lifetime working in the UK never inform Britain of their departure. They literally cannot afford to be open about their circumstances because those who are open are financially penalized by having their pension frozen. We are asking CABP members to please pass the word along to anyone they know in the Caribbean and point them to BCPA’s website – www.britishcaribbeanpensions.com – which emanates a distinctive Caribbean flavour, blending the serious nature of our cause with humourous pokes at the perpetrator of pension injustice: the UK Government. John Duffy in Westminster with Dame Floella Benjamin during ICBP’s lobbying mission last fall .

6 - JUSTICE #2, 2018 Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

WHEN: SATURDAY, 9 JUNE, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. • Registration opens at 1:00 p .m . WHERE: George Ashe Library and Community Centre 470 Kingston Road West, PICKERING, ONTARIO, L1V 1A4 • FREE PARKING AGENDA: 1 . Welcome and Introductions 2 . Approval of the Agenda 3 . Approval of the 2017 Minutes 4 . Chairman’s Report 5 . Presentation of 2017 Audited Statements 6 . Appointment of Auditor 7 . Board Reports 8 . Ratification of Actions and Decisions 9 . New business 10. Adjournment

✪ Financial Statements for the year ending December 31, 2017 will be available at the meeting or on request by contacting the registered office of the Corporation to obtain a copy free of charge at the registered office or by prepaid mail . FOR MORE INFORMATION: 416-253-6402 or toll free 1-888-591-3964 Please note that it will not be necessary to elect directors at the AGM as the current board of directors was elected for a three-year term at the AGM held on June 18, 2016, and no names of any other persons wishing to be considered for election to the board have been received at the registered office of the Corporation.

Votes for life coming soon for overseas Brits

Private Member’s Bill on Overseas Electors successfully passed its second reading in the House of Commons on A23 February and is now moving on to the next stage of legislative passage. When it becomes law, this bill will give ‘frozen’ pensioners around the world a real voice in Britain by allowing them to cast their ballot in general elections. “The Government remains committed to introducing ‘votes for life’ ahead of the next scheduled General Election in 2022,” said the statement issued by the Cabinet Office in March. The complete statement can be viewed online at https://petition. parliament.uk/petitions/200005

JUSTICE #2, 2018 - 7 Sign-ups grew by THETHE ISSUEISSUE 50 per cent in January ATAT AA GLANCEGLANCE Let’s make it happen again There are 12 million UK by Margaret Wells state pensioners, all of ifty percent more people joined CABP in the first month of 2018 than in the whom contributed similarly previous January, thanks to promotions by our local and provincial reps and to the pension scheme via Fby a number of supportive members who placed posters in multiple locations compulsory National Insurance in their communities. We had the pleasure of welcoming new recruits all across the country, from Vancouver Island to Prince Edward Island. Contributions . This happy state of affairs has not yet repeated itself, however, as recruitment • numbers for February and March simply mirrored those of a year ago. I am opti- Of the 12 million, just over mistic that this will change as more members are inspired to pull out all the stops in communicating our message via posters and brochures placed in favourable loca- one million live outside the UK . tions in their neighbourhoods. • We have provided a poster in this issue for you to clip out or print and then dis- Half of the pensioners living play somewhere in your local area. I will happily supply more posters – just ask me! overseas receive the same ([email protected]) Helping people discover CABP is an act of kindness, a benefit to current and annual cost-of-living increases future pensioners, a good deed that will pay off – literally – when our campaign as those still living in the UK, achieves its goal. while the other half does not Names across the nation – their pensions are frozen I am delighted to note that the list of ‘Local Contacts’ on p.2 of JUSTICE is grow- simply because of where they ing as more people across Canada step forward to help our pension cause. have chosen to reside in The Ontario listing now includes Roy Godber in Waterloo, whom I mentioned in their retirement . the last issue, and Peter Sanguinetti of the Parry Sound-Muskoka area. Peter has been spreading the CABP word in his area after discovering that local township administra- • tors are often asked to witness Life Certificates for ‘frozen’ pensioners like himself. Commonwealth nations and In Manitoba, Geoff Davies has generously agreed to be a local contact in that British overseas territories are province. Thank you, Geoff. We really look forward to working with you. home to 98 per cent of “frozen” In Quebec, Janice Taylor has taken over the reins from Richard Yates, who re- cently stepped down after eight years of proactive service there. We are enormously pensioners . grateful to Richard for his hands-on support and offer a warm welcome to Janice. • Now I am just waiting for someone in Saskatchewan – some generous individual There are 147,000 in Canada – to step forward and agree to be a local contact in that province. If it’s you (and why not?), please contact me at [email protected]. plus 247,000 expats who are heading towards pension age .

CLIPCLIP ANDAND DISPLAYDISPLAY Please cut out or print the poster on p.9 and pin it on a notice board in your community. Let us know where you place it!

8 - JUSTICE #2, 2018 JUSTICE #2, 2018 - 9 10 - JUSTICE #2, 2018 Know anyone PUBLICPUBLIC in Cheshire or INFORMATIONINFORMATION Northumberland?

MEETINGMEETING ore specifically, if you know anyone living in the Cheshire parliamentary constituency of Tatton, or SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 2018 Mthe Northumberland constituency of Hexam, we’d really like to hear from you. 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Frank Wills Memorial Hall 405 – 1st Street East Next door to the RCMP COCHRANE, AB, T4C 1C7 Come hear the latest news! CABP Chairman Ian Andexser & ICBP Chairman Sheila Telford NON-MEMBERS WELCOME

INFO: Smokey Seidel: smokey .seidel@gmail com. / Position of Tatton constituency within Cheshire shown in red . 403-981-3936 The Tatton constituency is the “home turf” of Esther McVey, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Her area includes the towns of Knutsford and Wilmslow, and a number of villag- Help publicize June meeting es such as Alderley Edge, Chelford, Handforth and Mobberley. in southern Alberta Please help get the word out to potential new CABP members living in or near CALGARY, CANMORE, COCHRANE or any other community in southern Alberta . Local volunteer Smokey Seidel is standing by with promotional posters for displaying throughout the region, just waiting for your requests . Please get in touch with him at smokey .seidel@gmail .com / 403-981-3936 . The one-hour public information meeting on June 23 is designed to attract new members to our cause and to bring current members up-to-date on pension news . There will be presentations by CABP Chairman Ian Andexser and ICBP’s Sheila Telford . Smokey will also welcome offers of help with setting Position of Hexham constituency in Northumberland shown in red . up and tearing down the meeting space in Cochrane The Hexham constituency is home to Pensions Minister (see address in ad, above), beginning at 1:00 p .m . Guy Opperman. The major communities include Hexham, on June 23 . Corbridge, Stocksfield, Ponteland, Prudhoe, Wylam, Haydon Bridge and Haltwhistle.

JUSTICE #2, 2018 - 11 HAVING YOUR SAY…

Certifiable opportunity Dis-agreement I recently had my life certificate witnessed by the clerk/admin- Thanks for publishing a listing of parliamentary records con- ister of the township in which I live. She told me she witnesses firming that a reciprocal agreement is not required in order for about six certificates a year but knew nothing about frozen the UK to uprate our pensions (JUSTICE #1, 2018). I ‘kind of’ pensions, nor did her colleagues in surrounding townships who knew about these and had seen some in the past, but it was use- also witness them. I gave her some CABP business cards and ful to see them all gathered together. in future, each time she is asked to witness a life certificate, she Alan W. McFarlane will offer one. I then made the rounds to neighbouring town- Membership # 31324, Victoria, BC ships, explaining about pension freezing and leaving cards and flyers. Perhaps next time other members need a life certificate Responses to Chairman Ian’s appeal for more help witnessed, they too will bring some CABP business cards along with them. Count me in Peter Sanguinetti I was not one of the three people from across the whole of Membership # 21619, Emsdale, Ontario Canada who responded to the call for businesses in my commu- nity that could help promote CABP. On receiving Ian Andexser’s Earned windfall message, I realized this is not okay. I want to get a fair UK pen- I am so very grateful for the encouragement I received from sion and I recognize that this may not happen unless I put in real CABP members to apply for my pension. I had been reluctant effort and stop relying on CABP and consortium board members because I left the UK in my early twenties. What a wonderful to do the work. I am enclosing the names of local businesses and surprise to be informed that I was indeed eligible, and since I am happy to approach them for their support. had not claimed it for the last six years, would I care to receive Fiona Macleod the back payment in monthly additions to my base pension or Membership # 17198, Victoria, BC one lump sum? I chose the latter and within days over $9000 was deposited into my account. No longer procrastinating Judy MacNeill Thanks for the nudge, Ian – looks like I needed one. I have now Membership # 31998, Sooke, BC sent an email asking for support from half a dozen friends and family members in the UK and still have a few more to go. And Long-distance commitment speaking of procrastinating, today will also be the day I renew I am moving permanently back to the UK, and even though I our membership in CABP. will no longer have my pension frozen, I am very much com- Sheila Craigie mitted to your long-term plan to have the British Government Membership # 32362, Vancouver, BC change their archaic law. If there is anything I could do to help in the UK, please consider my offer. Putting paid to apathy Michael J.E. Craigen I am disappointed that it took an email from Ian Andexser to Membership # 32106, Kelowna, BC make me realize how apathetic I have been – and it appears other members too. We tend to take others for granted and assume Persistence “someone else” will do the work. Just because we pay member- I have taken the ‘sample letter’ in the last issue and emailed it to ship dues does not mean that we should not also be doing our my MP. I will keep sending it until I receive a positive response. bit. A more concentrated effort by all of us would surely be to our advantage. Rich Rees Membership # 33686, Ayr, Ontario Elizabeth Curnow Membership # 31547, Victoria, BC

Letters to the Editor should be sent to the National Office or to: [email protected]. The Editor reserves the right to edit letters for clarity or length.

12 - JUSTICE #2, 2018 Uprate your pension when YOUYOU AREARE INVITEDINVITED to participate in an experiment traveling Where: Any Tim Hortons coffee shop When: First Tuesday of any/every month at 11:00 a .m . e sure to apply for the increase to your frozen pension to Why: To meet fellow UK pensioners today’s unfrozen rate when visiting any country where Bthe pension is not frozen (with the exception of two How: Carry a copy of JUSTICE countries: the USA and Bermuda). LET US KNOW HOW THE EXPERIMENT GOES FOR YOU The list of unfrozen countries consists of all 28 European Union countries (includes French Overseas Departments Take pictures and share your experiences with us! such as Martinique, Guadeloupe, Tahiti, Saint Barthélemy, St Martin, French Guiana, etc.) plus the following: Barbados Mauritius Bosnia- Herzegovina Macedonia Guernsey Montenegro Isle of Man Philippines Israel Serbia Jamaica Switzerland Jersey Turkey It is recommended that you apply by phoning the International Pensions Centre before you leave home (011-44-191-218- 7777). You will need to have the following information to hand: The dates you will be arriving and leaving, an address and phone number where you can be reached during your visit, and your nationality (if dual British/Canadian, just say British). If your spouse also receives a UK pension and is also travel- ling, he/she will need to be available to answer questions. The Category A pensioner (the one with the larger pension) should speak first. If phoning is not an option and you need to write instead, the mailing address to use is: The Pension Service 11, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 1LW, England. Please note that faxing or emailing the information is not acceptable. Where there’s a Will…

We are grateful to the couple who have designated a planned gift to CABP in their Will .

Though they do not wish to be identified, we want to publicly thank them . By helping to make global pension justice become a reality, their generosity will be felt around the world .

We also thank them for the reminder to all of us of the importance of preparing a Will in advance .

JUSTICE #2, 2018 - 13 How much of your money has the UK withheld from YOU? by Nigel Nelson

n 2016, we asked if you had ever wondered how much extra you would have received in your UK State Pension if it was not frozen, and we provided a chart like the one below, now updated to include 2017 and 2018. The chart shows how much the pension has Ieroded for a single person receiving the maximum basic pension. As you can see by the highlighted line, such a person who retired ten years ago this June has lost out on more than CAD$18,000 – a figure that increases with every passing year. To think what could have been done with this income that has been cold-bloodedly snatched from us!

UK STATE PENSION – “PENSION EROSION” – APRIL 1990 TO PRESENT DAY

14 - JUSTICE #2, 2018 Are you being served? by Fiona Macleod am offering my services as a professional writer to any CABP members who would like help with highlighting the dreadful frozen pension situation in mes- Isages to UK or Canadian MPs. I know how important it is for politicians to receive such letters from constituents – how else can they come to understand that people really care and are struggling? I also know that sometimes it is hard to put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) to compose an articulate letter. Simply contact me by email ([email protected]) or telephone (250-812-4192) or through CABP’s office and I will be happy to assist with this crucial task.

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JUSTICE #2, 2018 - 15 Your ad will be seen COAST-to-COAST in JUSTICE

PLACE YOUR AD WITH Malcolm Campbell [email protected] 416-253-6402 1-888-591-3964

YOU GET ALL THIS FOR Membership in CABP buys you… $25 • Top-rated PR campaign in the UK • The energy and support of an international consortium of pensioners • Advice on dealing with the Dept for Work & Pensions (through CABP’s office) • Four magazines a year to keep you informed In memory of the many who die Join or renew now! while waiting for Please use application form inside back cover their pension to OR Join/renew online at www.britishpensions.com/joinrenew/ be indexed, CABP OR Phone 1-888-591-3964 observes one minute of silence before MEMBERSHIP UP-TO-DATE? each meeting . Check the Expiry date below and KEEP UP YOUR SUPPORT for global pension justice.

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16 - JUSTICE #2, 2018