CANADA House of Commons Debates VOLUME 144 Ï NUMBER 040 Ï 2nd SESSION Ï 40th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Friday, April 3, 2009 Speaker: The Honourable Peter Milliken CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) Also available on the Parliament of Canada Web Site at the following address: http://www.parl.gc.ca 2371 HOUSE OF COMMONS Friday, April 3, 2009 The House met at 10 a.m. could elect to purchase credits from other Canadian pension plans; a municipal or provincial police force, for instance. Prayers Second, is the matter of pension transfer arrangements that the amended superannuation act would support. As we know, a pension GOVERNMENT ORDERS transfer agreement is typically a formal arrangement between two employers. It would allow a plan member to increase pensionable Ï (1005) service by directly transferring the actuarial value of benefits earned [English] under a previous plan to a new one. ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE SUPERANNUATION ACT Hon. Gordon O'Connor (for the Minister of Public Safety) Last, the bill contains other related amendments that would clarify moved that Bill C-18, An Act to amend the Royal Canadian and improve some administrative and eligibility aspects of the act. Mounted Police Superannuation Act, to validate certain calculations For example, it would validate certain historical calculations related and to amend other Acts, be read the second time and referred to a to part-time employment and the cost of elections for prior service committee. with a police force that was taken over by the RCMP. It would also Mr. Dave MacKenzie (Parliamentary Secretary to the better protect pension eligibility for those transferring benefits from Minister of Public Safety, CPC): Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to the public service, the Canadian Forces, or for retired senators and rise in the House today in support of Bill C-18. members of Parliament who continue their career with the RCMP. As hon. members may know, I spent 30 years as a member of the police department of Woodstock, Ontario. I entered as a constable and retired from the force as chief of police. The well-being of Canada's police officers is a subject near and dear to my own heart. Greater fairness and flexibility in RCMP superannuation are important considerations. They are important benefits that this bill What we have before us is a matter of unfinished business. would deliver. This bill proposes certain technical amendments to the RCMP Superannuation Act which would improve pension portability; in other words, transferring the value of benefits earned under a former plan to a new one. Like pretty much all employers in the country, the RCMP faces an aging workforce and stiff competition from other employers seeking The act was first amended in 1999, with the same intent. However, to attract the best and brightest to their ranks. Somewhere around when work began on drafting the enabling regulations, it was learned 700 members are retiring each year from the RCMP. the legislative changes did not go far enough. This bill would close those gaps. Once implemented through regulation, these amend- ments would modernize the RCMP Superannuation Act and bring it in line with the federal public service pension plan and other plans. To replace retiring members and meet operational requirements in Specifically, Bill C-18 would do three things. the future, the RCMP must attract and train a record number of recruits for the next few years. This is another area where improved First, it would support Parliament's 1999 intention to expand pension portability may be important, especially when it comes to existing provisions for election of prior service. Currently, members the recruitment of lateral troops. These are officers with at least two of the RCMP pension plan can transfer credits for prior service with years' service, typically with a municipal or provincial force, who a police force that was absorbed by the RCMP, with the Canadian have decided to continue their careers with the RCMP. As such, their Forces, with the Public Service of Canada, with the Senate, or with training is much shorter than that of regular cadets, at just five the House of Commons. Under new provisions, eligible members weeks. 2372 COMMONS DEBATES April 3, 2009 Government Orders The idea is to leverage the experience of lateral entrants to quickly I thank the hon. member for his speech. It was a useful speech to develop fully trained police officers who are ready to take up their frame the debate. This is essentially a transfer agreement among duties upon arrival in detachment. Once they are there, they require various pension plans so that the RCMP is treated in the same far less supervision by experienced officers, known as field coaches, fashion as are other people in the civil service. than brand new constables. That frees up more resources for policing our communities. There was a question, it seems to me, that arose a few years ago about when an RCMP officer went to a place like Haiti or Lateral entrants represent just a fraction of the cadets who Afghanistan, and worked there for a period of time and whether he graduate from the RCMP's training facility each year, roughly 3% or or she would receive pension credits while serving outside of the 4%, so we are not talking large numbers. However, at a time of country. I wonder if the hon. member could clarify that and whether attrition and an increasingly complex and challenging security it has in fact been addressed in the bill. environment, the RCMP needs all the personnel it can get. Pension portability can help attract experienced officers through the door. I understand the inter-transferability between the Canadian Forces and the RCMP. What would be other examples where this proposal In fact, I hold in my hand excerpts from the 2005 report of the would benefit the RCMP from, say, other non-police forces? The Auditor General of Canada. In it, the Auditor General notes that the hon. member is a former police officer. If he ceased to be a member cost of training a regular cadet is about $30,000, compared to $2,000 of the House of Commons, would his pension credits generated here for a lateral entry. Of the lateral entry program, the report states: “— be receivable in an RCMP pension plan in the event that he went this program is not attractive to potential employees as they cannot back to the RCMP? transfer their pension contributions to the RCMP pension plan”. All of that would change under the proposed amendments before the These are the kinds of questions that will come up in committee House today. but, nevertheless, are good for people to reflect on at this point. Ï (1010) Mr. Dave MacKenzie: Mr. Speaker, some of the questions from The RCMP Depot is currently capable of training up to 90 lateral the member opposite are far too technical for me to answer today. I entrants a year divided into three troops of 30, but up to now a simply do not have the answers, but I am more than happy to find typical lateral troop contains only about 16 entrants. We believe out for him. pension portability has a lot to do with that as, again, it is available right now only to former military police who are covered by the The biggest single advantage to this amendment is that it will now federal Canadian Forces Superannuation Act. allow the RCMP and other police agencies to be on level playing fields to have lateral movement. In the organization I came from, I would also like to note that pension portability as it pertains to people left to go to the RCMP and vice versa. There were always transfer agreements is a two-way street. RCMP members may difficulties for those members in trying to match up the pension occasionally seek employment with other agencies and organiza- benefits because the legislation was not there. tions, for example, when a family relocates to a new community. If a transfer agreement is in place between the two organizations, then This is an opportunity for that whole area to be strengthened and members can take their prior service with them as credit toward to provide clarity. From my perspective, and I think from the pension benefits. community's perspective, one of the bad things that happens is that good young men and women want to do a great job in policing and Mobility and flexibility within Canada's security community is a for whatever reason decide they would like to continue their careers good thing. It benefits the safety of all Canadians and today's perhaps in other communities and the options are not available. generation of employees want options, opportunities and recognition When people are members of a municipal force they are located in for their good work. This kind of flexibility is already reflected in the that community, so they frequently look to move or, as I said in my pension plans of other federal workers, so I think it only fair that the earlier comments, it may be that their family is moving. RCMP members enjoy the same treatment. This will provide the opportunity to keep those good people It is important to take every reasonable opportunity to support within policing. It is what they have been trained for and what many recruitment to our national police force and the well-being and of them have dedicated their lives to. It is a good opportunity. morale of its members. The House saw fit once already in the past to make the legislative adjustments it believed would facilitate greater I would like to thank my friend across the aisle for thinking that I pension portability to RCMP superannuation, but we have since might want to continue my career in policing.