OSPC: Retirement Income Sources
What Laws Apply to Manitoba RPPs?
Registered Pension Plans (RPPs) are subject to a number of different laws, including the federal Income Tax Act, and administered by a variety of organizations and individuals. If an RPP has employees in Manitoba and in another Canadian province or territory, that plan may be supervised or governed by another pension authority, similar to the Office of the Superintendent - Pension Commission in Manitoba.
That other authority must act on behalf of the Office of the Superintendent - Pension Commission to ensure that the rights of the plan's Manitoba employees, comply with The Pension Benefits Act of Manitoba.
What does Manitoba's governing pension body do?
The Office of the Superintendent - Pension Commission governs RPPs that are registered under The Pension Benefits Act of Manitoba, as well as LIRAs, LIFs and life annuity contracts that are subject to the Manitoba Act.
Like most pension authorities across Canada, the Office of the Superintendent - Pension Commission must:
- ensure that plans are administered and run according to The Pension Benefits Act of Manitoba
- register plan documents, and any amendments
- examine the annual pension plan information returns and actuarial valuations submitted by plan administrators
- ensure that LIRAs and LIFs are administered and run according to The Pension Benefits Act of Manitoba
- inform plan administrators, financial institutions, plan members, beneficiaries, employers and any other interested persons of the legislative requirements in the act
- encourage the establishment and improvement of pension plans
Federal employees not covered under Manitoba's Act
The Pension Benefits Act of Manitoba does not cover federal public sector employees, or employees in federally regulated workplaces. This includes aviation and airlines employees, as well as those employed by banks, broadcasting and telecommunications, interprovincial transportation, marine navigation and shipping companies, and railways.
Federal public sector employees are covered by the federal government act relevant to their particular pension plan.
Pension plans covering employees in federally regulated workplaces and private sector employees who work and reside in the Yukon, Northwest Territories or Nunavut, are covered by the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985, R.S.C. 1985 (2nd Supp.), c. 32, a federal government act governed by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI). OSFI has published a Pension Guide for Members of Federally Regulated Private Pension Plans.
