{"id":737,"date":"2025-07-23T10:26:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T14:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/qa.yourwebsitebuild.com\/nia\/?post_type=commentary&p=737"},"modified":"2025-11-24T16:02:32","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T21:02:32","slug":"why-canada-needed-the-pension-centre-of-excellence-and-why-its-finally-here","status":"publish","type":"commentary","link":"https:\/\/qa.yourwebsitebuild.com\/nia\/commentaries\/why-canada-needed-the-pension-centre-of-excellence-and-why-its-finally-here\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Canada Needed the Pension Centre of Excellence\u2014and Why It\u2019s Finally Here"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s not often that you can clearly recognize the start of something with the potential to shape the future\u2014but that\u2019s exactly what it felt like standing in front of our colleagues, partners, and friends at the inaugural Symposium of the Pension Centre of Excellence (PCE) at the National Institute on Ageing. <\/strong>The PCE is a new non-partisan, research-informed and action-oriented knowledge exchange platform dedicated to improving the retirement financial security of Canadians at the National Institute on Ageing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it was a celebration of a new forum, this gathering also marked the culmination of something much deeper: a shared recognition that Canada\u2019s retirement income system\u2014a system touching nearly every person in the country\u2014needs a dedicated space for research, evidence, collaboration, and coordinated action. And now, thanks to the unwavering support of 31 founding member organizations, we have that space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, we\u2019ve taken something that used to fall between mandates and made it everyone\u2019s shared mission: a financially secure and dignified retirement for all Canadians.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filling a Long-Standing Gap<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Over the last two decades, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to participate in pension discussions around the world. Again and again, one fact stood out: Canada lacked what so many other countries already had\u2014a dedicated institutional hub to advance rigorous pension research, policy innovation, and cross-sector collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Too often in Canada, meaningful work on pensions has depended on goodwill\u2014on passionate and dedicated individuals squeezing research and advocacy into the margins of their day jobs. While this has led to impressive progress thanks to the efforts of many talented professionals, the absence of a formal structure has resulted in missed opportunities: to build on one another\u2019s insights, to pool resources, and to generate the research and evidence needed to drive progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is especially urgent now, as our population ages, retirement becomes more complex and the need for sustainable, equitable, and effective retirement income solutions grows. Most retiring Canadians will need income beyond what public programs (CPP\/QPP, OAS, GIS) provide. Workplace pensions once helped fill the gap, but they\u2019ve become increasingly rare\u2014particularly in the private sector. As of 2023, Statistics Canada reports that two-thirds of Canadian workers lacked a registered pension plan, including over three-quarters of private sector workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trillions of dollars\u2014and millions of futures\u2014are at stake. Through its focus on improving the retirement income system for all\u2014including underrepresented groups\u2014the PCE aims to surface innovative models and policy approaches<\/strong> to close this retirement income adequacy gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Built to Bring Us Together<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The PCE was not created to serve any one institution, sector, or ideology. It was created for the system\u2014and for the Canadians it serves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are a national platform for ongoing, high-quality research<\/strong>, a convenor of diverse perspectives and a collective engine for progress. Our structure was designed intentionally to bring together the best of academic thought and real-world practice\u2014from pension plans and policy experts to insurers, economists and advocates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Above all, we are guided by a core understanding: no single actor can solve these challenges alone<\/strong>. Improving retirement income security demands inclusive, evidence-informed dialogue\u2014and that\u2019s exactly what the PCE provides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Community of Champions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The launch of the PCE has been nothing short of extraordinary\u2014not because it came from a place of power, but because it came from a place of shared purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In many countries, institutions like this are funded and driven by government. In Canada, this has not been the case. The PCE is a grassroots achievement that exists because of the vision, generosity, and leadership of its members\u2014and because of the foundation laid by the National Institute on Ageing, which enabled this new initiative to take shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As my brilliant co-lead, Barbara Sanders<\/strong>, so aptly put it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Pension Centre of Excellence is built on the thought leadership of its members, supported by a distinguished network of researchers, all of whom bring unparalleled expertise to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The PCE is not just a research body. It is a living platform\u2014one where ideas flow both ways. Our symposia are designed not only to share findings but to gather insights from across the sector<\/strong>. These insights will shape our research, and our research will, in turn, inform policy and practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the formula for driving progress. It\u2019s one I\u2019ve believed in throughout my career\u2014and now, with the PCE, we finally have the means to apply it at scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To everyone who has contributed, advocated, and believed in this vision: thank you<\/strong>. You\u2019ve helped lay the foundation for something that will benefit generations to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not often that you can clearly recognize the start of something with the potential to shape the future\u2014but that\u2019s exactly what it felt like standing in front of our colleagues, partners, and friends at the inaugural Symposium of the Pension Centre of Excellence (PCE) at the National Institute on Ageing. The PCE is a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"image":"","link":"https:\/\/qa.yourwebsitebuild.com\/nia\/commentaries\/why-canada-needed-the-pension-centre-of-excellence-and-why-its-finally-here\/","target":"","category":"

Income Adequacy<\/div>","date_formatted":"July 23, 2025"},"category":[5,6],"stake-holder":[16,14,15],"class_list":["post-737","commentary","type-commentary","status-publish","hentry","category-income-adequacy","category-pensions","stake-holder-older-adult","stake-holder-policy-makers","stake-holder-sector-organizations"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Canada Needed the Pension Centre of Excellence\u2014and Why It\u2019s Finally Here - NIA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Canada Needed the Pension Centre of Excellence\u2014and Why It\u2019s Finally Here - NIA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s not often that you can clearly recognize the start of something with the potential to shape the future\u2014but that\u2019s exactly what it felt like standing in front of our colleagues, partners, and friends at the inaugural Symposium of the Pension Centre of Excellence (PCE) at the National Institute on Ageing. 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