Issue #4, 2017 Another London A sterling gift mission underway The ideal gift for anyone in your life who has ever worked in Britain? delegation of campaigners with predecessor, Ian Blackford—an outspo- A CABP membership, of course! the International Consortium of ken advocate for pension justice—is now This is the only gift that has the A British Pensioners is in London the leader of his party in Westminster). potential to turn itself into solid on a lobbying mission just as this issue They will meet as well with a represen- of goes to press. They have a tative from the DUP, traditional support- sterling (literally!) for every recipient. JUSTICE packed week of meetings scheduled with ers of pension justice and now vital to the Clearly a gift for every occasion. people of influence including journalists Conservative Government’s parliamen- Thank you to Rupert & Daisy Earle from The Times, Guardian, Daily Mail tary majority. In addition, it is hoped that for sharing their inspiration with us. and Daily Mirror and a large number of the government’s pensions minister, Guy The Burlington (Ontario) couple has parliamentarians in Westminster. Opperman, will attend a meeting of the been giving CABP memberships to The delegation will meet with Labour’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen friends for some time already. shadow minister for pensions, Alex British Pensions that is scheduled to take Cunningham, who is responsible for ad- place during the week. vancing the official opposition’s policy for Taken as a whole, the mission’s goal is the elimination of pension freezing. They to tee up strong support for the APPG’s will also meet with MP Mhairi Black, efforts to annul the legislation that will SNP’s new pensions spokesperson (her once again freeze pensions in 2018, and to stress the inequity of protecting EU- resident pensioners while others remain frozen. In addition, it aims to build even more support amongst the large number Photo: Photo: Mature Times of new MPs elected in 2017. The ICBP delegation consists of Sheila Telford, Colin Rainsbury and Ian Andexser from Canada, Jim Tilley and Brian Owles from Australia, and John Duffy from Antigua. Their programme ICBP Chairman Sheila Telford (right) is backed by Baroness Floella Benjamin during a previous lobbying has been organised by our London PR mission in London. agency, PHA Media. It’s year-end INSIDE DON’T LET YOUR CABP MEMBERSHIP EXPIRE Grassroots Tories object to freezing ...3 CHECK EXPIRY DATE ON YOUR ADDRESS LABEL or e-JUSTICE email Chairman’s Column ...............4 Renew at www.BritishPensions.com Fish & Chips + side order .......... 5 Our All-Party Parliamentary Group ....5 OR Phone 416-253-6402 • 1-888-591-3964 Call for nominations to CABP board ...8 OR Mail in the application form on p. 15 Mailbag .......................12 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 en MPs in Westminster have the power to persuade the Conservative Email: [email protected] Government to end pension freezing today. It is incumbent on us to convince Web: www.BritishPensions.com Tthem to do so. OFFICE HOURS: They are the elected members of the Democratic Unionist Party, the party that Tuesday-Friday, 10 am to 2 pm (Eastern Time) was thrust into the role of kingmaker when the Conservatives found themselves in Editor: Rosalind Tosh • [email protected] a minority position after the 2017 general election and turned to the DUP for the Advertising: Malcolm Campbell support that allows them to remain in power. [email protected] We want these DUP MPs to make their support of the Government conditional, © Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners at least in part, upon the Government supporting global pension parity—a more than fair barter for the Government, I’d say. Global pension parity is standard policy for OECD countries, the UK, to its shame, being the only anomaly among the 35 member nations. Join me in telling this to the kingmakers today. CHAPTER CONTACTS Tell them also that they can bet a pound to a penny that many of their constitu- ONTARIO: ents have a personal stake in the matter. They include the ones who know a fellow GTA & Surround: Margaret Wells Brit who is struggling to live on a frozen pension—like the “lovely British lady” Tel: 905-450-9028 • Email: [email protected] in her mid-90s who gets a paltry £19 a week (see Grassroots Tories object to freezing Orillia/Barrie: Alan Llewellyn Tel: 705-329-0894 • Email: [email protected] in this issue)—and they include the ones who are afraid to join their children and grandchildren in a country where that could happen to them too. Oshawa: George Morley Tel: 905-697-3783 • Email: [email protected] Tell them you are writing on a parliamentary matter, not a constituency one—a matter that continues to be debated in Parliament. If you are a former resident of Ottawa: Tony Bockman Tel: 613-627-9675 • Email: [email protected] their constituency, let them know that too, emphasizing the fact that you still can Windsor: Ian Spencer vote in elections there, if that is indeed the case. Tel: 519-739-0808 • Email: [email protected] It is a rare thing to have government kingmakers at hand in the UK. I personally ALBERTA: Sheila Telford intend to make use of the extraordinary opportunity. Tel: 403-245-8541 • Email: [email protected] MANITOBA: Ken Butchart The kingmakers Tel: 204-222-6983 • Email: [email protected] In alphabetical order, the powers behind the Conservative throne are: NEW BRUNSWICK: Franklin Cardy Tel: 506-529-4280 • Email: [email protected] 1. Gregory Campbell, MP (East Londonderry): [email protected] NOVA SCOTIA: Michael Alford 2. Nigel Dodds, MP (North Belfast): [email protected] Tel: 902-835-9780 • Email: [email protected] PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND: Stephen Lowe 3. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, MP (Lagan Valley): [email protected] Tel: 902-963-4009 • Email: [email protected] 4. Paul Girvan, MP (South Antrim): [email protected] QUEBEC: Richard Yates 5. Emma Little Pengelly, MP (South Belfast): [email protected] Tel: 514-631-9020 • Email: [email protected] 6. Ian Paisley, MP (North Antrim): [email protected] BRITISH COLUMBIA: 7. Gavin Robinson, MP (East Belfast): [email protected] Greater Victoria: Alan McFarlane Tel: 250-995-9356 • Email: [email protected] 8. Jim Shannon, MP (Strangford): [email protected] Nanaimo: Ian Andexser 9. David Simpson, MP (Upper Bann): [email protected] Tel: 250-758-7594 • Email: [email protected] 10. Sammy Wilson, MP (East Antrim): [email protected] Sooke Area: Fred Whittaker, Tel: 250-642-4968 • Email: [email protected] Squamish: Bill Avery Tel: 604 896 1575 • Email: [email protected] Elsewhere: Ian Andexser Tel: 250-758-7594 • Email: [email protected] CABP Office Holiday Hours OTHER CANADIAN LOCATIONS & INTERNATIONAL: rd nd CABP Office: Tel: 416-253-6402 or 1-888-591-3964 The office will be closed from December 23 to January 2 . Email: [email protected] Please note: All comments, information, articles, opinions Deadline for submissions to the and answers appearing in JUSTICE or provided by CABP or its volunteers are offered in good faith but are not intended to be a next issue: 2 January 2018 substitute for informed professional advice. 2 - JUSTICE #4, 2017 Has your MP signed EDM 159? he leader of the official opposi- tion in Westminster, Labour’s Westminster takes note of “significant interest” TJeremy Corbyn, has tabled an A million thanks go to everyone who responded to our appeal this summer for Early Day Motion calling for the members to write to British MPs asking them to push for pension upratings for all legislation that imposed pension freez- overseas pensioners, not just those in the EU—and asking them to sign EDM 159. ing for 2017 to be revoked through Because of your taking action, MPs in the new parliament tell us they have become an Order-in-Council— the strongest keenly aware of the “significant interest” in the issue. measure possible. Make your point Mr Corbyn tabled EDM 159 shortly To those of you who have not yet written, please take a moment and do so. EDM before the Commons rose for the 159 remains open for signature until next spring. summer recess and it remains open for Your letter could allude to the following points: signatures of support by all MPs until the current parliamentary session ends • Our pensions have been frozen for 70 years. next spring. It needs to collect a large • The consistent explanation (that uprating is applied only where there is a legal number of MPs’ signatures if it is to be requirement to do so) is now invalid, given the government’s recent commitment allotted time for a debate and vote. to uprate all countries in the EU after Brexit. To determine if the MP for your UK • The additional cost to index all pensioners is estimated to be a mere 0.7% of the constituency has signed, please check pension budget. here: www.parliament.uk/edm/2017- 19/159. If not, please ask him or her to • Please sign EDM 159 to indicate support for global pension justice. do so as soon as possible. It’s also a smart idea to state right up front that you are writing about a EDMs are formal motions submitted parliamentary issue, not a constituency one.