Entirely new workplace retirement savings approved...

On September 26 Manulife Financial’s new federal Pooled Registered Pension Plan (PRPP) received formal approval by the Canada Revenue Agency and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions in Canada, putting Manulife amongst the first organizations to be approved to sell PRPPs to federally regulated employers.

The federal government passed the Pooled Registered Pension Plans (PRPP) Act in 2012, formally recognizing that greater access to workplace savings programs is needed to help Canadians adequately save for retirement. PRPPs will improve the range of retirement savings options available to those who do not already have access to a pension plan, such as the self-employed or employees of companies that do not currently offer a workplace savings plan.

The PRPP will be a great tool for business owners to help foster employee morale, retain their best people and attract top talent.

Each province must pass its own PRPP legislation before the plan can be provided to private businesses and self-employed individuals within the province. The provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan have each passed PRPP legislation and are developing regulations that will guide their plans. On December 3, 2013 Quebec took an impressive step forward by passing the Voluntary Retirement Savings Plan Act (VRSP), becoming the first Canadian province to make implementing a workplace retirement savings plan mandatory for employers. The VRSP came into effect in Quebec on July 1, 2014. (The VRSP is Quebec’s version of the Pooled Registered Pension Plan.) You can learn more about VRSPs in Quebec at www.vrsp.com

This site will provide you with an overview of the PRPP and how it will help small business owners and employees. If you are a federally regulated employer, ask your advisor about Manulife’s PRPP. Don’t have an advisor? Contact us and we’ll help you find one.