Senator moves to have governors general cut off from pension and benefits if they resign before end of term
OTTAWA – A Conservative senator is moving to block governors general such as Julie Payette from receiving their generous government pension and benefits if they resign before the end of their mandate.
No.
Should Payette, the first ever governor general to resign in the wake of a damning workplace review after three and a half years on the job, be eligible to receive a nearly $150,000 annual pension plus a lifetime expense program of up to $206,000 per year?
If you only lasted 75% of your term, the max you should get is 75% of the pension.
“The issue isn’t limited to just Julie Payette’s case. A person who is governor general for only one week before resigning would also be eligible for the pension and benefits. That’s ridiculous,” Carignan said.
“Let’s be honest, the work that a governor general does after their retirement does not justify the expense budget they currently receive. Not at all,” he added.
Yay, as the law is written, such patronage appointment can easily be abused. That loophole needs to be fixed.
The Conservative senator isn’t the first to suggest reducing the governor general’s overall remuneration. Last month, the Bloc Québécois brought forward a private member’s bill that would reduce the annual salary associated to the role from $270, 602 to a symbolic $1, as well as eliminate any pension and benefits after retirement.
“To a symbolic function, a symbolic salary. The next person to occupy Rideau Hall will already receive room and board at great cost for taxpayers. For the Bloc Québécois, that is more than generous compensation for attending social functions,” MP Julie Vignola said in a statement at the time.
While the $270K salary is outrageous, paying someone below minimum wage, especially a ‘civil servant’ is a joke.
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