Ex-MLA convicted in expense scandal should lose pension: CTF
Posted Jul 31, 2012 05:34:39 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A taxpayers’ watchdog group says the latest mla to be sentenced for expense fraud should not get his pension.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says any elected representative convicted of a crime should be immediately stripped of their taxpayer-funded pension.
Former Tory MLA Richard Hurlburt was sentenced to house arrest last week for padding expense accounts to the tune of more than $25,000.
Hurlburt has repaid most of the money, but CTF Atlantic director Kevin Lacey tells News 95.7 that’s not the issue.
“The point here is that you had no respect for taxpayers’ money while in office, why should you be collecting it until the day you die?” said Lacey. “This payment, this $50,000 a year is indexed and will continue to go up each and every year for this politician.”
Lacey says the government needs to implement legislation to ensure mlas convicted of crimes in future aren’t allowed to collect their pension.
“It’s the one way we can defend from this stuff happening again,” he said. “Politicians will think twice if they think they’re going to lose their pension benefits for life.”
Earlier this year, former Liberal MLA Dave Wilson was sentenced to jail time for fraud also related to the expense scandal.
Independent MLA Trevor Zinck and former Liberal MLA Russell MacKinnon are still awaiting trial.
