Hon. Diane F. Griffin: My question is to Senator Gold, the Government Representative in the Senate. The Budget Implementation Act, 2021 contains a drafting error because of a House of Commons amendment made at report stage. The error was not caught by the Senate prior to Royal Assent due to the bill being passed without going to committee and having clause-by-clause review. Under Division 31, entitled Increase to Old Age Security Pension and Payment, section 268 exempts from the calculation of income the $500, one-time Old Age Security payment for seniors aged 75 and above. This means that the benefit should not impact the OAS clawback threshold or income-tested benefits, like the Guaranteed Income Supplement.

However, this section incorrectly references section 276 rather than section 275 for the exemption. Section 275 refers to the $500, one-time payment under the Consolidated Revenue Fund. Section 276 refers to unrelated amendments to the Public Service Employment Act.

Question: Is the government aware of the drafting error and does it intend to introduce legislation to retroactively correct the error prior to the end of the tax year so that it does not impact income-tested benefits for seniors?