If senators convicted, they shouldn’t get their pensions: taxpayer watchdog

Here's an idea that I think would get almost unanimous support across the country: If a politician is convicted of a crime — while in office — they should not be entitled to their gold-plated pension.

Over the weekend, the RCMP released a statement claiming that they are examining last week's Senate report which concluded that Senators Mac Harb, Patrick Brazeau and Mike Duffy erroneously claimed living allowances and expenses that they weren't entitled to.

Now, it should be stressed that this isn't a full-fledged investigation. The Mounties say that, at this point, they are just "examining."

[ Related: RCMP to examine senators' expenses ]

Regardless, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the federal government to follow Nova Scotia's lead and adopt a law whereby a politician convicted of a crime, would have their pension taken away.

"Any politician convicted of stealing, fraud or breach of trust related to their position doesn’t deserve to get a cent from their taxpayer-funded pension plan," CTF Research Director Nick Bergamini, said in a statement.

"When a politician is caught with their fingers in the cookie jar they shouldn’t just get a slap on the wrist."

[ Related: Are you smarter than a Canadian senator? ]

As of now, the only one of the three senators involved in the living allowance scandal eligible for a pension would be Mac Harb. To earn a pension a senator must serve for a minimum of six years.

But, the CTF calculates that if the senators were to remain in office until age 75, they would do well for themselves.

"Because Senate salaries and pensions are adjusted for inflation, Brazeau would be eligible for a $200,000 annual pension in 2049," the CTF notes.

"Harb would receive $136,000 starting in 2028 while Duffy would collect $58,000 by 2021."

(Photo courtesy of the Canadian Press)

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