Below are links to sample letters you can use to write to UK and Canadian politicians
Letter to DUP politicians in Westminster
Generic letter to UK politicians
Letter to new Commonwealth envoy
BC General Meeting
Saturday, June 24, 2017 at 2.00 PM
Registration opens at 1.00 PM
Beban Park Recreation Centre,
2300 Bowen Park, Nanaimo.
BC V9T 3K7
Free parking on site.
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The Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners is a not for profit organization, staffed by volunteers. Our mission is to help people discover and apply for the UK State pension they are entitled to, and to lobby the UK Government to end the discriminatory practice of freezing pensions based solely on country of residence
Totally British Festival
Come and see our booth at the Totally British Festival.
Bring any UK friends and find out their UK Pension eligibility !
May 16/17 at the Hamilton Convention Centre in downtown Hamilton
See the details here
Annual General Meeting
Notice of up coming Annual General Meeting
Saturday, June 15, 2019 at 2.00 PM
Registration opens at 1.00 PM
Sir John Colborne Centre,
1565 Old Lakeshore Road
Oakville, ON.
L6L 6N1
Support from Sir Peter Bottomley
One of our strong supporters in the House of Commons, Sir Peter Bottomley, made a strong appeal for unfreezing pensions during the Budget debate. You can see the text in this link. It is the 3rd paragraph down.
New Early Day Motion (EDM) in Parliament
Several of our supportive MP’s in Westminster have tabled a new Early Day Motion (EDM) concerning frozen pensions. You can read the details of the EDM by clicking on the link below
http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2014-15/845
The EDM calls for an approach to unfreezing by uprating from existing levels (rather than bringing everyone up to the current pension amount). This is the same approach that was proposed by Steve Webb in 2004, when he was in opposition.
While it is not what we have been asking for, it is at least a positive step forward.
The EDM will expire when Parliament recesses, which will likely be the 3rd week in March. We suggest you email your MP, acknowledging that it is a step in the right direction, and asking them to sign the EDM. This would need to be done as soon as possible, as there is only a small window of time for MPs to sign the EDM
Ipad Winner !
We have a winner in our 2014 Refer a New Member Contest. We would like to congratulate Richard and Dee Barclay from Nanaimo, British Columbia.
A new Apple IPad Air tablet computer is on it’s way to the Barclay home.
Members who referred new members to the CABP were allotted a ballot for the draw during our contest from April to early June 2014. Richard and Dee’s ballot was drawn at our Annual General Meeting on June 7, 2014.
The New Member Referral Contest is one way that we are trying to increase CABP membership. This year’s contest added a significant number of new members to CABP and we will likely run the contest next year.
Congratulations Richard and Dee
Quebec Public Information meeting
Cedar Park United Church
204, Lakeview Avenue
Pointe-Claire, Quebec
H9S 4C5
Saturday, April 26th 2014
10.00AM to 12.30PM
Formation of APPG in Westminster
1st April saw the very successful launch of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Pensions Reform in the Commonwealth Association Room in the House of Commons. Sheila Telford, Dave Morris and Brian Leggett from ICBP were there.
Unfortunately, due to health reasons, John Markham who first mooted the idea of this APPG was unable to make the trip. The Head of Political Strategy of our media consultancy had put a great deal of time working on the launch and everything came together as planned.
An APPG group is a formal structure within Westminster, consisting of at least 20 Parliamentarians, of which 10 have to be from the government party and 10 from the opposition. It is used to formally lobby the government, and to promote the interests of the particular topic for which it was formed – in our case, frozen pensions.
This new APPG is headed by Sir Roger Gale (Conservative), with vice chairs Dame Anne Begg (Labour), and Lord German (Lib Dem).
The launch was extremely well attended, with other MPs, Members of the House of Lords, the media, and representation from groups such as Age UK, The TUC, the National Pensioner Association, and the Canadian and Australian High Commissions.
Both the Chair and Vice Chairs spoke very forcefully about the issue. Dave Morris, ICBP Director and Chairman of CABP also was on the Panel, and had the opportunity to address the audience.
The Parliamentarians who are involved with this Group are as passionate as we are about the need to unfreeze pensions and it is most encouraging to now have a voice within Westminster, instead of always being on the outside trying to make politicians listen.
Sir Roger Gale, the Chairman of the Group stated that they now need to amass the information they have and figure out how to move forward. The ICBP have offered to undertake any research they require as their own resources are limited. It is important that we attempt as far as we can, to persuade enthusiastic supporters not to overwhelm the APPG panel with information so that, hopefully, communications with the APPG can be coordinated through ICBP.
Following the launch, there was strong, supportive, media coverage.
http://www.independent.co.uk/money/pensions/simon-read-mps-of-all-parties-join-fight-for-justice-for-uk-pensioners-with-frozen-pensions-9240021.html
The success of this event was followed by private meetings with Lord John Shipley and Lord Mike German, who gave us the benefit of their advice on what issues we should consider uppermost . Lord German believes for example that the Government are scared of the cost of backdating, if they were to concede unfreezing.
On Thursday 3rd April we were able to meet with the staff of the Canadian High Commission in London to discuss the frozen pensions policy. The Deputy High Commissioner, Mr. Alan Kessel confirmed to us that it is firmly Canada’s practice to fully brief every Canadian politician who visits the UK in order for them to keep raising the issue of frozen pensions. At the APPG launch, the Head of Political and Economic Branch of the Australian High Commission affirmed that this is also the policy of the Australian Government.
It was evident that other countries besides Canada and Australia also need to become similarly active.
It is important that other ‘frozen’ pensioners around the world to do everything they can where they live to persuade their national government to take political action against pension freezing. Their domestic economies will become increasingly affected as more and more baby boomers in Britain seek to retire to frozen countries such as New Zealand, South Africa, Japan (already home to the fifth-largest group of frozen pensioners), India, Pakistan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, and other Caribbean nations.
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