In light of the Deloitte report on inappropriate Senate expenses, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is renewing its call for a new law that would take away the parliamentary pension from any politicians convicted of crimes related to abuse of their office.
“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,” says CTF research director Nick Bergamini. “When a politician is caught with their fingers in the cookie jar, they shouldn’t just get a slap on the wrist.”
The CTF first called for the introduction of what it called the Raymond Lavigne Rule—named after former senator Raymond Lavigne—in 2011, after revelations that he would still be eligible for his pension despite a fraud conviction.
The Government of Nova Scotia recently introduced a similar law in response to a provincial expense scandal that has seen three members of the legislative assembly convicted of abusing their expense accounts and another awaiting trial.
The CTF is also calling on the federal government to adopt the Government of Alberta’s expense disclosure policy, which makes politicians post their expenses online with accompanying receipts.
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