2001/2002 PCERII Funded Research Abstract
| Research Title: | Mandatory Retirement and the Economic Well-Being of Elderly Canadian Immigrants |
| Research Team: | Hugh Grant University of Winnipeg - Principal Investigator |
| Research Domain(s): | Economic |
Entitlement to employment is a fundamental aspect of citizenship. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court of Canada has held that depriving older persons of the right to work may be a reasonable limit on equality rights. Accordingly, the Human Rights Acts in five Canadian provinces (including Alberta and Saskatchewan) permit employers to discriminate on the basis of age by defining a "normal age of retirement."
Mandatory retirement provisions may inadvertently create an undue economic hardship for specific groups of Canadians. In particular, many immigrant Canadians, who face a shorter period of employment in which to accumulate sufficient savings for retirement, may experience an undue economic hardship. The burden may be especially acute for immigrant women who exhibit a much stronger attachment to the paid labour force and a higher incidence of poverty.
This project explores the effects of mandatory retirement provisions on the economic well being of elderly Canadian immigrants, both in terms of their pre-retirement work experiences and their post-retirement incomes.