Canada PoliticsMPs to debate bill which would eliminate pensions for crooked politicians, finally
Here's a private members' bill that I hope would get unanimous support.
This week, as explained by the Canadian Press, parliamentarians will debate Bill C-518 which would eliminate the pension for any MP or senator convicted of a serious crime while serving in office.
"Under the proposed legislation, any MP or senator convicted of an indictable offence that carries a minimum sentence of two years in prison would only keep what they put into the pension plan, losing the generous government contribution"
The timely bill — put forward by Tory MP John Williamson — is a no-brainer.
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Gregory Thomas, of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation, recently penned a commentary championing the bill but wondering what took so long.
When Canadians discovered back in 2010 that serial child-killer Clifford Olson was banking over $14,000 a year in cheques from Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement, many of us went nuts.
So loud was the outcry — 46,000 signed the Canadian Taxpayers Federation petition demanding Olson’s benefits be cancelled — that before the year was ended, Parliament changed the law: Federal inmates lost their OAS and GIC benefits. But Parliament’s tough-love approach to elderly crooks doesn’t extend to crooked federal politicians. They get to keep their Parliamentary pensions, even if they’ve been convicted of ripping off taxpayers.
In his op-ed, Thomas cites the case of former Liberal senator Raymond Lavigne who is now in jail for allegedly breaching Senate expense rules. Because he retired from the red chamber before he could be booted out, he's still entitled to a taxpayer funded pension.
"You see, beyond the free jail food and, OK, cramped accommodations, Lavigne is still collecting his $67,000 annual Parliamentary pension — the gift of a grateful nation for a lifetime of devoted service," Thomas wrote.
"If he lives to age 90— which is the average life expectancy of those well-maintained members of the Parliamentary pension plan — former senator Lavigne will pocket $2 million in pension."
We now have four other senators — Duffy, Wallin, Brazeau and Harb — under some sort of RCMP investigation for alleged inappropriate expense claims.
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In its current form, C-518 is retroactive to include "conduct that occurred to before June 3, 2013."
CP notes that the NDP have indicated support the bill as has Treasury Board President Tony Clement.
If it doesn't get unanimous support — in both the House and the Senate — we should all be taking names of those politicians who voted against it.
(Photo courtesy of the Canadian Press)
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