Islandgirl
Well-Known Member
"The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has sent letters to Opposition Leader Jack Layton and Prime Minister Stephen Harper urging them to reach across the aisle and reform bloated parliamentary pensions.
Can you think of a better way to set a new tone in Parliament?
The CTF has been in the headlines this week after releasing calculations showing 113 defeated and retired MPs from the 2011 General Election will collect a cumulative $112 million in estimated lifetime pension benefits. Former Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe for example, will rake in $141,000 a year, fully indexed for life. That’s nearly $3-million by the time he reaches age 80.
These kind of self-serving arrangements feed voter cynicism and apathy. They must end! And maybe – just maybe – after 4 elections in the last 7 years our elected officials are ready to shelve all the posturing and truly set a new tone for politics in our country.
Can you take a minute right now and do two things:
1. E-mail Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Harper.S@parl.gc.ca) and Opposition Leader Jack Layton (Layton.J@parl.gc.ca). Congratulate them on their historic success in the recent campaign and urge them to reform Parliamentary pensions to a self-funding arrangement whereby taxpayers match MP contributions dollar-for-dollar. Currently, taxpayers cough up $4 for every $1 contributed by an MP. You can cc your e-mail to us at updates@taxpayer.com;
2. Forward this e-mail to your contacts. Encourage them to JOIN the CTF at no cost, and sign our Reform MP Pension Petition. Our influence grows as our numbers grow.
We have set up a Reform MP Pensions Campaign Page. Please check back for updates and responses to our letters to the leaders.
Thanks for all you do,
--Troy, Derek, Courtenay, Shannon and the rest of the team"
Can you think of a better way to set a new tone in Parliament?
The CTF has been in the headlines this week after releasing calculations showing 113 defeated and retired MPs from the 2011 General Election will collect a cumulative $112 million in estimated lifetime pension benefits. Former Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe for example, will rake in $141,000 a year, fully indexed for life. That’s nearly $3-million by the time he reaches age 80.
These kind of self-serving arrangements feed voter cynicism and apathy. They must end! And maybe – just maybe – after 4 elections in the last 7 years our elected officials are ready to shelve all the posturing and truly set a new tone for politics in our country.
Can you take a minute right now and do two things:
1. E-mail Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Harper.S@parl.gc.ca) and Opposition Leader Jack Layton (Layton.J@parl.gc.ca). Congratulate them on their historic success in the recent campaign and urge them to reform Parliamentary pensions to a self-funding arrangement whereby taxpayers match MP contributions dollar-for-dollar. Currently, taxpayers cough up $4 for every $1 contributed by an MP. You can cc your e-mail to us at updates@taxpayer.com;
2. Forward this e-mail to your contacts. Encourage them to JOIN the CTF at no cost, and sign our Reform MP Pension Petition. Our influence grows as our numbers grow.
We have set up a Reform MP Pensions Campaign Page. Please check back for updates and responses to our letters to the leaders.
Thanks for all you do,
--Troy, Derek, Courtenay, Shannon and the rest of the team"