Add CPP children's benefit
Petitioners ask the government to add a third CPP children’s benefit paying contributors 60+ monthly for dependents under 18, or under 25 if enrolled, who live with and are under their responsibility. The government responds that existing CPP child benefits may apply, major changes need provincial consent, and ministers review the Plan every three years.
Why we would sign this petition
- Provides direct monthly income to seniors acting as kinship caregivers, helping them cover children's living costs and caregiving expenses.
- Closes a policy gap by creating a benefit specifically for contributors 60+ who are raising dependents, beyond disabled or survivor child benefits.
- Offers more stable support for children in kinship care, reinforcing family, cultural or community caregiving when parents cannot provide care.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Major CPP changes need formal provincial agreement, making the proposal difficult to implement quickly or unilaterally at the federal level.
- Creating a new CPP benefit could raise long-term funding and sustainability concerns for the Plan unless financing and actuarial impacts are resolved.
- Existing CPP children’s benefits and federal programs (for example the Canada Child Benefit) may already cover some caregiver households, reducing the proposal’s incremental benefit.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Government of Canada Canada Pension Plan (CPP) applicants, who are legally responsible for children, are not able to claim these children as dependents. Many Seniors have the responsibility for children as kinship caregivers, connected to a child through family, culture and/or community, providing full time care to that child when parents are unable to parent often due to reasons like mental illness and addiction; and Currently, there are only two types of CPP children's benefits. For the CPP Disabled Contributor and the CPP Surviving Child's Benefit. We are requesting that a third type be added for those contributors who are 60 and older, who are raising children again. We, the undersigned, Citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to add to the current CPP Benefits for Dependent policy a 3rd type: A contributor, age 60 or higher, with dependents under age 18, or under age 25 and in full-time or part-time attendance at a recognized school or university - receive a monthly payment for the child/ren of which the contributor is "legally" or "in fact" living with and under the contributor's decision-making responsibility while under the age of 21. The contributor must have made sufficient contributions to the CPP.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario Signed by Annie Koutrakis The Government of Canada thanks the petitioners for their proposal regarding changes to the Canada Pension Plan. The Government would like to acknowledge the significant contributions of the many seniors across the country who take responsibility for caring for children whose parents are unable to provide the care they need, as described. The Canada Pension Plan is a social insurance program that is funded by the contributions of employees, employers and self-employed persons, and by the revenue earned on Canada Pension Plan investments. The intent of the Plan is to provide workers and their families with minimum basic income replacement in the event of the worker’s retirement, disability or death. While the Canada Pension Plan primarily serves as a retirement plan, it also provides supplementary disability and survivor benefits, which reflect the social insurance nature of the Plan and are not a direct return on contributions. Amongst these are the Canada Pension Plan children’s benefits, which are monthly flat-rate benefits paid to the dependent children of deceased and disabled contributors. To qualify, the dependent child must be the natural child of, or a child adopted legally or in fact by, the contributor, under the age of 18 or under the age of 25 and in attendance at a recognized educational institution. The intent of the Canada Pension Plan’s children’s benefits is to provide financial support to the dependent children of contributors who are not able to work and provide financial support to their child due to their severe disability or death. These benefits may be applicable to children finding themselves in situations similar to the one described. For example, should an older parent or legal guardian of a child be eligible for a Canada Pension Plan disability benefit, the benefit provided to the child of a disabled contributor would apply. Further, the rules for the benefit provided to a child of a disabled contributor were changed in 2025 so that the child’s benefit does not stop being paid when their disabled parent or guardian reaches the age of 65. The benefit provided to the child of a deceased contributor would be paid in cases where an older individual, such as a grandparent, becomes the caretaker of a child that has lost one of their parents. There are a number of other programs designed to help families meet the costs associated with raising children, including the Canada Child Benefit. These benefits are also available to seniors and near-seniors raising children. It is important to note that the Government of Canada cannot unilaterally modify the Canada Pension Plan. Responsibility for the Canada Pension Plan is shared between the federal and provincial governments, in line with the constitutional division of powers. Major changes to the Plan, including modifications to benefits, require not only an act of Parliament, but also the formal approval of two-thirds of the provinces representing two-thirds of the population. As such, introducing a new children’s benefit as suggested in the petition would require the consent of provincial governments. Federal and provincial ministers of finance review the Canada Pension Plan every three years to ensure its ongoing financial health, and to ensure that the Canada Pension Plan’s benefits remain relevant and responsive to the evolving needs of Canadians. Feedback from Canadians, such as this petition, help inform these discussions.