Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners (CABP)

This Alliance takes very seriously its responsibilities to keep its campaign supporters informed. Every three months, members receive the newsletter, Justice, (recently renamed from Quarterly View) keeping them up to date on happenings with our issue, along with providing useful information about such things as, claiming uprating when you are travelling overseas and minimizing the chances of experiencing very heavy medical expenses while travelling in the UK. So as a member you will be right up to date with progress with our campaign.

For those who are not yet members, here, briefly, is a list of some of the critical recent key lobbying activities undertaken on your behalf:

After two years of pressure, we managed to get the very respected Select Committee on Social Security to hold hearings on our issue and issue a report. This Alliance took a lead role, working closely with some other World Alliance organizations. A submission to the Committee was drafted, and approval obtained from all the World Organizations. The Alliance produced and distributed it to the Committee, the media and CABP membership. We also appeared before the Committee in London to give evidence. An Alliance representative also attended a second session to observe the then Government Minister give evidence.

This was the first occasion when the issue was given a complete airing on the record of the House of Commons.

When the Blair Government announced an extensive review of all UK pensions and invited submissions from interested groups, the Canadian Alliance was quick to make sure our issue was included. We, again, took a leadership role in drafting, along with our Australian colleagues, a submission, obtaining the agreement of the other organizations, producing and distributing it, in time to Westminster.

This Alliance reproduced the World Alliance submission as a 'grey' paper, added a suitable cover and individually mailed a copy to every UK MP. With over 400 new Members of Parliament, it presented a vital opportunity to educate the 'new kids on the block' about our issue. A copy of our 'Grey' Paper was included in the first Quarterly View of 1998.

We continue to build awareness of this campaign in Britain with regular news releases and storylines being provided to all sections of the UK media. The London Daily newspapers, particularly, and all the media are 100% supportive of our position and play an important role in maintaining a high level of awareness for the plight of frozen pensioners, within the UK populace as a whole.

A similar mailing of the 'Grey Paper' was also completed to reach every Canadian MP. We are also working to complete the same mailing to provincial MBPS/MLA's, though this is being done on a local, province-by-province basis.

CABP worked with Canadian MP, Svend Robinson, and others, who succeeded in tabling a very supportive Private Members motion in the Canadian House of Commons. He managed to get unanimous and all-party support for his motion and this was communicated in a number of ways to Westminster.

The Canadian Alliance took a similar leadership role with the World Alliance response to the 1999 UK Government Pension Review Team Report. We are also producing and distributing that to every UK and Canadian MP, along with leading media outlets.

CABP is also working on further new and powerful initiatives, including:

Additional pressure on the Canadian Government to strengthen their support of our campaign
Continuing to work to identify legal grounds for a successful Complaint to be filed with the European Court of Human Rights. We are working on this both independently and in concert with other World Alliance organizations.
Strengthening of Commonwealth ties to present much more of a united Commonwealth front on this issue. Remember, 48 of the 53 Commonwealth countries are 'frozen'.
Rebuilding a new coalition of supportive UK MPs from all parties, to help maintain a strong parliamentary front in Britain.
A number of other very significant strategies which we will divulge as soon as it is possible to do so.

There is no shortage of activities to be undertaken in support of our aggressive campaign. Just how much we can undertake depends entirely on the size of the support made available by you, current and soon-to-be frozen pensioners in Canada. We will succeed because you want to see this discriminatory practice ended by the new, caring, Blair Government. But we must have your help!

Please support our campaign with a membership in the Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners.