Pension plans and the financial crisis
Pension plans – whether defined benefit, defined contribution or any other type – are being hit hard by the financial crisis. The situation poses major challenges not only for employers, but also for the administrators of those plans.
Measures to help plans
To reduce the effects of the financial crisis on defined benefit pension plans, relief measures adopted under Bill 1 in 2009 and under Bill 129 in 2010 were implemented, and then extended under the provisions of Bill 42 in 2011.
A seminar to help plan administrators
To guide administrators during the 2008 crisis, the Régie and the Institute for Governance of Private and Public Organizations held seminars that dealt with pension plan governance during the financial crisis on 31 March 2009 in Montréal and on 2 April 2009 in Québec. The various presentations 
(French only) that took place during the seminar covered the following subjects:
- legislative measures to reduce the effects of the financial crisis, adopted under Bill 1
- liability of plan administrators
- payment of contributions to the pension fund
- pension funds managers: concerns and solutions
- how to protect portfolios from the effects of the financial crisis
Other useful links...