On Oct. 5, an opposition MP asked about Cúram, the computer system that now runs Old Age Security. It's part of a federal program moving Old Age Security, Employment Insurance and the Canada Pension Plan off systems up to 60 years old.
Two numbers came up: 33,000 seniors waiting, and $5 billion in overruns. Both have a real source. Neither means quite what it sounds like.
What was asked
The MP said "33,000 seniors are still caught up in this IT fiasco" and asked when the government would launch "an independent public inquiry into Cúram." In a follow-up, the MP said the project had "racked up $5 billion in cost overruns" and asked for an inquiry before Employment Insurance moves to the same system.
What was answered
The Minister of Jobs and Families called it the government's largest IT transformation and said "the numbers are going down."
The Minister of Government Transformation said the cost figures were "way off base," that "that is not at all what it cost to implement this old age security software, which serves 7.7 million seniors," and that the backlog "has been reduced by more than half in recent months."
Our rating:
- Inquiry: didn't answer. No yes, no, or reason was given.
- Backlog: partly answered. A direction, but no date for clearing it.
- Cost: partly answered. The figure was disputed, but no other number was given.
The backlog, in context
The same day, a senior department official gave a Commons committee the details, as reported by The Hub. As of Sept. 30, about 33,000 people had not received their first payment within their first month of eligibility. That was down 60% from the end of January. About 22,000 of them had been contacted for more information. About 11,000 "have not yet been actioned."
Department notes show 85,500 waiting past their first month in January 2026 and 53,400 by March 31. So "more than half" holds up on its numbers.
Two other facts matter. The 33,000 are new applicants waiting for a first payment, not people whose pensions stopped; 7.7 million seniors are paid monthly. And the service standard is to pay 90% of new clients in their first month. In 2025–26, as of February, it was 75.2%, down from 87.3% the year before. Delays existed before the switch, but on-time payment did fall after it.
The "$5 billion," in context
The program's approved budget, or spending authority, started at $1.75 billion in 2017. The official said it went to $2.1 billion in December 2020, $7.1 billion in December 2023, and $6.6 billion in November 2024, running to 2031. The gap is about $4.85 billion, likely where "$5 billion" comes from.
But that's the budget for all three benefits, after the scope grew to include call centres. It isn't money spent, or the cost of the Old Age Security piece alone. The official said $2.0 billion had been spent by June 30, 2026, and the pension project came in about 7% under budget. Moving the Canada Pension Plan has no funding authority yet, so the final cost isn't known.
In 2023 the Auditor General flagged the estimate rising to $2.5 billion, possibly $3.4 billion, before anything had moved.
What we know, and what we don't
Established: the Hansard exchange; the budget authority figures; the backlog trend; the drop in first-month payments.
Claimed: "$5 billion in cost overruns" (it's growth in approved budget, not spending); the Old Age Security project being 7% under budget (not independently checked); that the total will come in under $6.6 billion.
Unknown: how many delays come from the system versus missing paperwork; when the backlog clears; the final cost.
Spin check
Two different numbers, one argument: One side cites growth in the whole program's budget; the other answers about the cost of the pension software alone. Each is accurate about its own number. Same with 33,000 waiting versus 7.7 million paid: different groups, both true.
Bottom line
The overhaul's approved budget has nearly quadrupled, though most isn't spent yet. The backlog is real and shrinking; the inquiry question went unanswered.
Sources
Primary sources first. News reports are marked as secondary. A full source list with notes is kept alongside this piece.