Edna is a 62-year-old widow living in Quebec. She meets with Yolanda, her insurance agent. Ednaworked part-time her whole life as a seamstress and…

As the 62-year-old widow of a deceased contributor to the national pension plan, Edna is eligible for a survivor's pension. Since she resides in Quebec, this benefit is administered by the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP), which is the provincial equivalent of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). Her husband, Donald, was working until his death, meaning he made sufficient contributions to the plan. The survivor's pension is a monthly payment designed to provide financial support to the surviving spouse or common-law partner of a deceased contributor. Edna's age and status as a widow make her immediately eligible to apply for and receive this benefit.

A. Workers' Compensation. This is incorrect because these benefits are only paid if the death is the direct result of a work-related accident or illness, which is not specified in the scenario.
B. Old Age Security (OAS) allowance for surviving spouse. While Edna may qualify for this income-tested benefit, the CPP/QPP survivor's pension is the primary and most direct entitlement resulting from her husband's contributions and death.
D. She will not receive any benefit. This is incorrect. Given her husband was a contributor to the QPP and she is his surviving spouse, she is entitled to government death and survivor benefits.

1. Retraite Québec. (n.d.). Pension for a surviving spouse under the Québec Pension Plan. "To receive a surviving spouse's pension, you must be the spouse or common-law partner of the deceased person. The deceased person must have contributed sufficiently to the Québec Pension Plan." Retrieved from the official Retraite Québec website.

2. Government of Canada. (2023, October 24). CPP Survivor's Pension. "The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) survivor's pension is a monthly payment paid to the legal spouse or common-law partner of a deceased CPP contributor." (This source is provided to show the parallel structure of the CPP, which is the program named in the question).

3. IFSE Institute. (2023). Life License Qualification Program (LLQP) - Common Law. Module: Group Benefits & Retirement Plans, Section: Government-Sponsored Retirement Plans. The text outlines that the CPP/QPP provides a survivor's pension to the surviving spouse of a deceased contributor, payable monthly upon application.

4. Government of Canada. (2023, November 1). Allowance for the Survivor. "You may be eligible for the Allowance for the Survivor if all of the following apply: you are aged 60 to 64... your spouse or common-law partner has died... your annual income is less than the maximum annual income threshold." This confirms the benefit exists but is secondary to the contribution-based CPP/QPP pension.