Post 10--Corrupt Politicians and Their Perks

        Post 10 

The

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (updates@taxpayer.com) is a privately funded and totally independent watchdog for Canada’s taxpayers. Well, perhaps “totally independent” is too strong a term,for it depends very much on contributions from ordinary citizens. But it is not beholden to government, politician or political party.

Today, they sent me a hard-hitting email that I am passing on to you for your consideration, support and action. Here goes:

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This morning the RCMP laid fraud and breach of trust charges against former Liberal MP and Senator Mac Harb and former Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau.

In August, Harb resigned, pulling what’s known as “the Lavigne maneuver,” named after former Liberal Senator Raymond Lavigne who resigned from the Senate right before his conviction to ensure he wouldn’t lose his $67,600 annual Senate pension.

Harb is currently collecting an estimated $108,000 annual pension from his time as MP and Senator. Brazeau, despite being suspended is still accruing service as a Senator and if he makes it to January 2015 will be eligible for an estimated $32,000 annual pension once he turns 65.

We need to stop this.

Politicians who steal from taxpayers shouldn’t be allowed to collect a generous pension while in prison (as Lavigne did) or any time after for that matter.

The Revoking Pensions for Convicted Politicians Act (Bill C-518) is a private members bill put forward by MP John Williamson. It would take away the pension of any MP or Senator convicted of a serious crime, like fraud and breach of trust. And Mr. Williamson worded it so that any politicians charged and convicted after last June (like Harb and Brazeau) would lose their pensions.

However, rumours swirling around Parliament are that Bill C-518 could be defeated later this month.

We can’t let that happen.

That is why the CTF wants to turn the heat up on MPs, urging them to pass Bill C-518.

We’ve put together a new TV commercial staring former Senator Raymond Lavigne (our lawyers wouldn’t let us put any other Senator in the commercial) that we want to run on CTV News Channel and Sun News Network starting next week.

Watch the new commercial here: http://www.taxpayer.com/others/donate-today-to-put-this-ad-on-tv--

Bottom line: if we don’t want politicians who steal from taxpayers to collect rich pensions, we need to do something about it right now. Today.