The first bill addresses the paternalistic legislation that prevents veterans, RCMP members, judges and public sector employees who choose to marry after the age of 60 from providing pension benefits to their spouses when they pass away.
“It is unfathomable that this law is still on the books. The burden of our aging population falls most heavily on spouses and it can be the most difficult years of one’s life,� said Mathyssen. “These spouses have a right to access benefits and it's none of the government’s business when the relationship began.�