Section 88 — Canada Pension Plan: Presumption as to death

Where a contributor or beneficiary, or a contributor’s or beneficiary’s spouse or common-law partner or former spouse or former common-law partner, has, either before or after the coming into force of this section, disappeared under circumstances that, in the opinion of the Minister, raise beyond a reasonable doubt a presumption that the person is dead, the Minister may determine the date for the purposes of this Act on which that person’s death is presumed to have occurred, and thereupon that person shall be deemed for all purposes of this Act to have died on that date. If, after having determined the date of a person’s death pursuant to subsection (1), the Minister is satisfied from new information or evidence that the date of death is different from that determined, the Minister may determine a different date of death, in which case the person shall be deemed for all purposes of this Act to have died on that different date and the Minister shall forthwith cause to be paid any benefit that would have been payable if the determination of death had not been made. If, after having determined the date of a person’s death pursuant to subsection (1), the Minister is satisfied from new information or evidence that the person is alive, the Minister shall forthwith cause to be paid any benefit that would have been payable in respect of the person had that determination not been made. Where any benefit has been paid to any person as a result of the determination of another person’s death pursuant to this section and the Minister is satisfied from new information or evidence that that other person is alive, the benefit shall forthwith cease to be payable and any such benefit paid prior to the Minister’s being satisfied that the person is alive shall be deemed to have been validly paid. For the purposes of this section, the Minister is not bound by the issuance or revocation of a death certificate by any other authority.