Canadian Immigration Committee passes motion to summon Manulife and Sun Life executives to testify at Committee hearing on MPF issue
The Canadian Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration has passed a motion to study pension transferability and access to the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) for Hong Kongers now residing in Canada.
The motion asks the Committee to invite representatives of Manulife Financial and SunLife Canada, Canadian trustees of the MPF, to appear as witnesses.
This follows a roundtable discussion held by Hong Kong Watch in Ottawa with MPs on the topic last November, during which Greg McLean MP took the initiative to draft a motion for a hearing at one of the committees, further highlighting the importance and urgency of addressing the MPF issue.
Hong Kong Watch previously published a briefing on MPF access for Hong Kongers, finding that Manulife and SunLife are withholding access to over CAD$1.5 billion worth of hard-earned pension funds. Subsequent Hong Kong Watch research found that Manulife and SunLife have rejected over 90 percent of Hong Kongers in Canada who have tried to withdraw their MPF savings. The briefings can be accessed here and here.
Tom Kmiec MP, Shadow Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and member of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, said in a video on social media: “These companies are allowing themselves to be used by obeying local laws in Hong Kong and stopping the transfer of pension funds by Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents to Canada.”
We thank all members of the Committee for agreeing to study this important matter that impacts up to thousands of Hong Kongers, including those in Canada. The full list of members are as follows (in alphabetical order):
Shafqat Ali
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe
Paul Chiang
Sukh Dhaliwal
Fayçal El-Khoury
Arielle Kayabaga
Tom Kmiec
Jenny Kwan
Larry Maguire
Greg McLean
Brad Redekopp
Salma Zahid
加拿大國會移民委員會通過動議傳召宏利、永明高層出席聽證會 解釋拒絕港人提取MPF原因
加拿大眾議院公民及移民常務委員會日前通過動議，研究現居加拿大的香港人轉移和提取強積金（MPF）的情況。
有關動議要求委員會傳召強積金加拿大受託人宏利和永明金融的代表出席聽證會作供。
上年11月，香港監察在加拿大國會舉辦圓桌研討會，與國會議員討論移民海外港人領取強積金的各方面問題。會議期間，國會議員Greg McLean MP主動起草動議，提議其中一個國會委員會召開聽證會，進一步突顯解決強積金問題的重要性和迫切性。
香港監察早前就香港人提取強積金的情況發表簡報，發現宏利和永明金融扣起港人辛苦賺來的退休金，價值料達15億加元。香港監察隨後的研究發現，宏利和永明金融拒絕了逾九成客戶的提取強積金存款申請。請在此處讀取第一份簡報，此處讀取第二份簡報。
加拿大影子移民部長、公民及移民常務委員會委員Tom Kmiec MP在社交媒體發布影片，指「這些公司容許自己被利用，循香港本地法律阻撓加拿大公民和加拿大永久居民將退休金轉移至加拿大。」
香港監察感謝委員會全體委員贊成研究這影響居加港人等多達上千名香港人的重要事宜。完整委員名單如下（按姓氏的英文字母順序排列）：
Shafqat Ali
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe
Paul Chiang
Sukh Dhaliwal
Fayçal El-Khoury
Arielle Kayabaga
Tom Kmiec
Jenny Kwan
Larry Maguire
Greg McLean
Brad Redekopp
Salma Zahid