Carney Cares. The Tax Code Doesn’t.

We need to fix the "Participation Tax"

Prime Minister Mark Carney just announced the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit. The intent is good. The relief is welcome. The tax code, however, did not get the memo.

Important Disclaimer (Please Read)

This article is for educational and discussion purposes only and does not constitute financial or tax advice. Canada's tax and benefit system is complex, highly individualized, and subject to frequent changes. Before making any financial or tax decisions, consult a qualified professional familiar with seniors' benefits, including GIS, OAS, CPP, and related clawbacks.

Now that we've cleared that up, let's talk…

Here’s a quick overview of what was announced.

What the Canada Groceries & Essentials Benefit Program Covers

• Bigger Benefit Cheques: About 12 million Canadians will receive relief.
• Food Bank Relief: $20 million to food banks through the Local Food Infrastructure Fund.
• Food Supply: Immediate expensing for greenhouse buildings to bolster domestic production.
• Food Security: A national strategy including unit price labelling and enforcement by the Competition Bureau.
• Business Support: $500 million in supply chain support to help businesses absorb costs rather than passing them on to consumers.

These ideas aren’t bad. Some are very sensible. Taken together, the Government estimates in its announcement that these measures would "provide up to an additional $402 to a single individual without children, $527 to a couple, and $805 to a couple with two children. They go on to say that at these levels, Canada’s new government will be offsetting grocery cost increases beyond overall inflation since the pandemic."

On paper, this looks helpful. Unfortunately, paper has never had to buy groceries

But…

You knew there was a “but” coming. Government announcements are legally required to include one.

A Little-Known Tax Reality That Makes You Shake Your Head

New research shows Canada's tax-and-benefit system disadvantages low-income seniors who work. The issue? It's hidden in the tax code.

On January 28, 2026, a Zoomer Radio Fight Back discussion hosted by Libby Znaimer highlighted the issue. Guests included: Gabriel Giguère , Senior Policy Analyst, Montreal Economic Institute IEDM - MEI and Jamie Golombek , Managing Director, Tax & Estate Planning, CIBC Financial Planning & Advice

Their conclusion? Canada's tax system discourages low-income seniors from working exactly when they need income the most.

Many seniors discover (usually the hard way) that a small side hustle doesn't always pay off. It can lead to higher taxes and benefit clawbacks. Work a little more, and Ottawa takes a lot more.

Why Seniors Are Still Working

Because the math doesn't add up. Either way.

More than 600,000 older adults live below the poverty line. Meanwhile, rent, food, utilities, insurance, and property taxes are increasing faster than pensions ever did.

More seniors are employed, particularly GIS recipients. MEI analysis indicates that GIS recipients with work income increased by 56% from 2014 to 2022, rising to 64% among those aged 65–69.

These seniors aren't working for "fun money." They're working to keep the lights on and purchase medication.

Reviewing the details reminded me of a long-standing issue in my research on income and cash flow for Canadians aged 55 and over. 

Many Canadians can’t make ends meet and are forced to work well past 65. Yet Canada’s tax system punishes low-income seniors for working—exactly when they need income most. To understand why, we need to look at the Guaranteed Income Supplement.

The Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) Program for Low-Income Seniors

Here's how the GIS benefits work:

• A non-taxable monthly benefit on top of Old Age Security for low-income seniors.

• Roughly one-third of OAS recipients also receive GIS—over 2 million Canadians.

• For a single senior with no other income, the maximum annual benefit is about $13,000.

(Source: Government of Canada GIS website)

The program has done meaningful work. Combined with OAS, CPP, and private pensions, Canada dramatically reduced senior poverty over the past half-century.

But there’s a catch hiding in the design.

Think of GIS as a hug that tightens when you try to stand up.

The GIS Clawback Problem for Canadians

GIS recipients can earn only $5,000 per year in employment income before clawbacks begin. After that, GIS takes back 50 cents of every dollar earned—before income tax and payroll deductions.

A partial exemption applies to the next $10,000, where 25–37.5% is clawed back.

The program helps seniors—right up until they try to help themselves.

How the GIS Clawback Works Against Working Seniors

Let me illustrate this.

Meet Agnes.  She is about to learn more about marginal tax rates than any bookstore employee should.  Agnes is in her late 60's, lives alone, and receives OAS and CPP. Rising costs push her to take a job at a local used bookstore. She works about 15 hours a week at roughly minimum wage.

Here annual gross employment income is about $13,000

Here’s what happens:

• Her employment income triggers GIS clawbacks once she exceeds $5,000.

• She pays income tax, CPP contributions, and sometimes EI premiums.

• Between taxes and clawbacks, much of her earnings disappear.

Simple version: Agnes works more hours but keeps far less than expected.

When you keep 20 cents on the dollar, even capitalism looks confused. Agnes didn’t go back to work for the thrill of alphabetizing mystery novels. She did it to afford her prescriptions.

A Canadian Tax System That Punishes the Wrong Thing

If we’re going to test income, test investment income. Fine. Tax it.

But employment income? Showing up? Working?

The system treats that like misconduct.

Once you add income tax, CPP contributions, and the loss of other credits, low-income seniors can face effective marginal tax rates of 70–80% on modest earnings.

Nothing says “fairness” like taxing a bookstore clerk harder than a boardroom executive.

As Gabriel Giguère of the Montreal Economic Institute has noted, "this level of taxation normally applies to wealthy Canadians—not seniors living in poverty."  In a well-researched economic brief, Giguère and Jason Dean, BBA, MA, PhD , Assistant Professor of Economics at King’s University College at Western Ontario, present a compelling argument for policy change.  

This comment by Giguère and Dean nicely sums up their key findings:  

"For various reasons, including insufficient pensions to maintain their living standards, seniors are increasingly turning to work. Yet the current tax-and-benefit system merits reform as it undermines their efforts, with the harshest effect on low-income seniors."

One-Time Credits Don’t Fix Structural Problems

At Davos, Mark Carney famously said, “Nostalgia is not a strategy.”

Fair point.  So why does our benefit system still behave as if retirement lasts ten years and ends with a gold watch?

The system still thinks retirement lasts ten years and includes a gold watch.

People are living longer. Many will spend 25 to 30 years in retirement. Some want to work. Many need to.

A grocery credit helps.

But a broken incentive structure still breaks people.

Common Sense Tax Solutions the Canadian Government Should Consider

1. Raise the GIS earnings exemption

The Montreal Economic Institute recommends raising it to around $30,000. Estimated cost: $544 million annually. Modest relative to the program’s size.

2. Exempt employment income from GIS clawbacks (at least partially)

Keep testing investment income. Stop penalizing work.

3. Rethink retirement assumptions

Policy built around “retire at 65 and earn almost nothing” no longer matches reality.

None of these ideas are radical. They’re just… current.

What to Ask Your Accountant About Your Tax Rate

Get professional advice. Not generic advice. Not from Google. Not from your unemployed nephew.

Ask specifically about:

• Pension income splitting

• Strategic RRSP contributions

• Consulting or corporate structures where appropriate

• Creative but compliant barter arrangements

• CPP and OAS deferral strategies

• Documentation. Lots of documentation.

When clawbacks are involved, paperwork is your lifeboat.

A Short, Honest Take

Grocery relief is appreciated.

The intent is good.

But until Canada fixes a tax system that punishes low-income seniors for working, affordability will remain fragile. This isn’t about blame. It’s about aligning incentives with reality. Right now, it feels like we’re helping seniors swim by handing them bigger life jackets—while quietly drilling holes in the boat.

And yes… I need to lie down. I feel another blog coming on.

Apparently, exercising this much common sense counts as cardio.

Sue

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