We all pay into the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). We make contributions every paycheck, believing it will be there for us—either when we retire, or when we can no longer work due to severe disability.
That’s the promise.
But that’s not the reality.
CPP Disability (CPPD) is meant for Canadians who are so severely and permanently disabled that they are incapable of working in any occupation. That was the intent. That was the safety net.
But in 2003, a small clause—Section 65(3)—was quietly added to the Canada Pension Plan legislation. On its face, it looks harmless. It says that if a “disability income provider,” approved by the Minister, overpays someone who is also eligible for CPPD, they can recover the excess from CPP.
But that’s not what happens.
And that’s what this petition is about.
❌ Section 65(3) isn’t about fairness.
It’s about privatizing your pension.
Section 65(3) hides a deeper story. It masks years of attempts—dating back to the 1990s—by the Minister and private insurers to reduce costs by making it harder for disabled people to access the benefits they earned.
In the 1996 Auditor General’s Report, Chapter 17, you’ll find how the government began “saving money” not by helping people, but by creating administrative hurdles to delay or deny CPPD claims. Then came “Back to Work” initiatives—not designed to accommodate disability, but to push people off benefits.
After that came coordination with the provinces to ensure people couldn’t receive both welfare and CPPD. And behind closed doors, insurers were meeting with the Minister to “enhance coordination” with the private sector.
Why? Because private insurers hated CPP when it was introduced. It threatened their profits. So they lobbied for against it. Then, when enacted they lobbied for access.
In a 2003 industry document called “The Role of Disability Income Insurance,” insurers outlined their real goal:
They wanted to treat CPPD as a financial incentive—really, a disincentive—by removing the disability pension entirely to push disabled Canadians back to work.
Not support.
Not security.
Not protection.
An incentive. A lever. A savings strategy.
And above all—profit.
Let me be clear:
They wanted to take CPPD away from the severely disabled—those already living with permanent impairments and limitations—and use it to reduce their own payouts. They wanted the pension we paid for to become their tool to show cost savings.
To financially cripple those already crippled by disability, to "encourage" them back to work
And, of course, to keep premiums low for able-bodied workers.
Let’s make that clear:
They wanted to take away pension property from severely disabled members—created from your personal investment, earned through years of mandatory contributions—to subsidize premiums for those who are not disabled. This happened before 2010, when Canada joined the Un on the Declaration of Rights for disabled people. Section 65(3) has never been legally examined for the harm it causes to disabled Canadians.
Your pension, diverted to protect their bottom line.
Your benefit, quietly sacrificed to maintain someone else’s profit margin.
And along with it goes all hope of dignity.
🔓 Section 65(3) unlocks the door to your pension
In 2003, they succeeded.
Section 65(3) was added to the CPP Act. It allowed private insurers to enter into secret agreements with the Minister of Employment and Social Development.
These agreements give private insurance companies access to CPPD pensions. The Minister automatically approves them—no public notice, no debate, no discretion.
And never informs you—the contributor—who believes a pension will be there when needed.
The Minister signs—then walks away.
No oversight. No monitoring.
Just the screams of disabled people, met with shields of silence.
There are no requirements to prove:
An actual excess payment was made
Privity of contract
That the insurer even paid the claimant directly
All that’s needed is a name, an address, and a rubber stamp.
No consideration is given to the fact that insurance benefits are created through monthly premiums.
Those were already paid.
But the insurers wanted more.
The insurer gets access.
The contributor gets nothing.
And worst of all?
You are never told.
You are never shown the agreement.
You are never given a choice.
🧾 These agreements are being abused
These agreements were intended to allow a one-time recovery of an overpayment.
But insurers are using them to deduct monthly CPPD payments indefinitely—every single month, for years.
They take your pension.
They call it an “offset.”
They say it’s legal.
And no one stops them.
Not the Minister
Not Service Canada
Not the agencies meant to help
Section 65(3) overrides the legal protections in Sections 65 and 65.1, which state that CPP pensions:
Cannot be seized
Cannot be used as security
Are protected from execution
But Section 65(3) unlocks that protection and lets private insurers walk in—grab your pension—and walk out.
The agreement does not authorize monthly seizure of pensions.
But insurers do it anyway.
Then they point to a government agreement that you are never allowed to see.
🧠 I have lived this. And I’m still living it.
I am severely disabled with a brain injury. I paid into CPP my entire career as an educator. I qualified for CPPD.
But I never received the benefit—because my insurer had already signed one of these secret agreements.
My pension is taken. Every month.
I didn’t know the agreement existed. I’ve never seen it.
I’ve asked for it, again and again—for years.
I finally gained access to the agreement.
Now I know what it says—
And what it doesn’t.
It does not authorize insurers to seize pensions month after month.
It does not grant them sweeping powers to strip disabled contributors of their rightful income.
It was never meant to become a tool of permanent clawback.
But that’s exactly how it’s being used.
All I’ve received is:
Disdain
Gaslighting
Accusations of greed
And finally… silence
Why? Because I dared to say:
It’s my pension. I need it. I earned it. I am severely disabled. I need support to live with dignity.
There is nothing in the Canada Pension Plan that says our contributions are collected to benefit the private sector.
But that’s exactly what’s happening.
My pension was taken.
I was left to struggle—with spinal fluid leaking from my nose, neurofatigue, mobility issues—and no pension support, despite being eligible.
Section 65(3) made my insurer more entitled to my pension than I am.
It robbed me of stability.
It made me a burden to my friends and family.
It made me invisible.
🚨 This could happen to you.
There are 39 insurers across Canada with these agreements.
If you ever become severely disabled, your CPPD may already be spoken for.
Not because you didn’t qualify.
But because someone else already made a claim—on your behalf.
And then you may be like me, shocked by the betrayal of agencies meant to help.
🛑 Please, help me stop this.
Help me repeal Section 65(3)—a clause that quietly robs the most vulnerable Canadians of the pensions they earned.
A clause that has harmed people like me since 2003.
A clause that ties a public, mandatory pension to private profit.
🖊️ Please share. Please sign.
If you know someone with a large following—make them aware.
I’m fighting with everything I have left.
But I can’t do this alone.
We, the people—the contributors to our pensions—need to raise our voices.
My reality may be your future.
Disability is not an exclusive group.
Help protect the pension you’ve paid for.
Help protect the dignity of disabled Canadians.
Your time, invested in my efforts, may help secure your future.
Severely Disabled, Silenced—but Not Broken
#ProtectDisabilityPensions
#Repeal65_3
#NotYoursToGiveAway