BONOKOSKI: Gold-plated pensions of our diligent deputies

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Catherine McKenna flew Hypocrite Air.

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The former liberal Environment Minister and nine employees, not one or two, but nine, spent nearly $ 42,000 and tens of thousands of gallons of jet fuel on a farewell “climate change” tour of Canada, clocking 14,000 miles. in 10 days to make speeches on global warming.

Soon after, he retired from politics.

“We need to reduce air pollution,” McKenna said during a July 27 stop in Edmonton, as Blacklock’s Reporter first reported. “Consider that the transportation sector accounts for a quarter of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions.”

And then he went by plane.

Air travel is one of the main emitters (of air pollution) and should be avoided if unnecessary, said friends at the David Suzuki Foundation.

“Think twice before taking that great flight.”

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Obviously, McKenna didn’t think twice, instead hiring a government airliner that consumed kerosene for a two-week tour of Canada.

The good news is that you will not receive a pension, falling short of the six years in charge required for gold-plated sinecure.

The bad news for the taxpayer is that a group of parliamentarians with many years of service are receiving this pension.

Oh, to have been elected in 2000 when I tried, but narrowly failed, to get the Canadian Alliance nomination in the old John Baird ride of Nepean-Carleton in Ottawa. Oh what a pension I would have if I had run the table.

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Like Geoff Regan, for example. The Liberal MP from Halifax-West since 2000 will collect at age 65 (now 61) an annual pension of $ 147,400, which, if he lives to age 90, will total more than $ 5 million.

And Wayne Easter, a Liberal MP from Malpeque, Prince Edward Island since 1993, will immediately collect an annual pension of $ 138,400.

Currently, the annual base salary for MPs is $ 185,800, which is very good money. Cabinet ministers and parliamentary secretaries receive more generous salaries and allowances, all of which are reflected in their pensions.

Geoff Regan, for example, was a former cabinet minister and speaker of the chamber, so his pension is higher than that of Wayne Easter, who served as attorney general in former Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s cabinet.

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Under the Members of Parliament Retirement Benefits Act, MPs must contribute to the scheme for at least six years before they can claim a pension.

At a minimum, they would have a retirement allowance of just over $ 32,000 per year starting at age 65. This amount is indexed and becomes more generous based on the number of additional years of service.

Genevieve Tellier, a professor of political studies at the University of Ottawa, told the CBC that the whole issue of politicians’ pay and pensions is a bit taboo: Elected officials don’t like to talk about it because of the perception of the public that they have good salaries.

A member who does not complete six years of service before leaving office receives a lump sum as a retirement pension, recovering their contributions with interest.

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I have always maintained that those who run for federal politics are driven by ego, salary and pension, with the exception of fringe candidates from parties like Rhinoceros, who do so simply for the fun of being outlandish.

But they are rarely outlined.

I tried to run in 2000 because my ego thought I could defeat then-liberal defense minister David Pratt, who regretted the number that was sent to Europe to claim the remains of Canadian WWII soldiers.

How many does it take to bring back a “bag of bones”? he said at the time.

This had not gone well.

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