True or False - Aid

Refugees receive more financial assistance from the federal government than Canadian pensioners.

This is false: The short-term financial support for refugees does not compare to the lifetime pension benefits for Canada's seniors.

The facts

Refugees don’t receive more financial assistance from the federal government than Canadian pensioners.

A letter to the editor of a Canadian newspaper contained this incorrect information. In it, a one-time, start-up payment provided to some refugees in Canada was mistaken for an ongoing, monthly payment. Unfortunately, although the newspaper published a clarification, the misleading information had already spread widely over e-mail and the internet.

In truth, about three quarters of resettled refugees receive financial assistance from the federal government, for a limited time, and at levels lower than Canadian pensioners. They are known as government-assisted refugees.

We have to remember that many of these people have fled from unimaginable hardship, and have lived in refugee camps for several years. Others are victims of trauma or torture in their home countries. Many arrive with little more than a few personal belongings, if that. Canada has a long humanitarian tradition of accepting refugees and helping them start their new lives here.

For this reason, a government-assisted refugee receives a one-time amount of up to $1,830 from the federal government to cover essentials — basic, start-up needs like staples, furniture and clothing. They also receive a temporary monthly allowance for food and shelter that is based on provincial social assistance rates. In Ontario, for example, a single refugee would receive $768 per month. This assistance is temporary — lasting only for one year or until they can find a job, whichever comes first.

This short-term support for refugees is a far cry from the lifetime benefits for Canada’s seniors. The Old Age Security (OAS) program, for example, provides people who have lived in Canada for at least 10 years with a pension at age 65. The Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) is an additional monthly benefit for low-income pensioners. The Canada Pension Plan (CPP), or Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) for people in Quebec, pays a monthly retirement pension to people who have worked and contributed to the plan over their career. In October 2007, Canadian seniors received an average of $478.28 in OAS benefits and $481.46 in CPP retirement benefits ($393.84 in QPP). Lower income OAS recipients also qualified for an average of an additional $393.99 in GIS benefits. In Ontario, for example, a pensioner would receive approximately $959 per month.

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