Here are 80 MPs set to qualify for pensions thanks to new Liberal rule

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OTTAWA — A small change being proposed to the federal Elections Act could see 80 federal politicians suddenly qualify for a House of Commons pension without having to win another election.

MPs are eligible for a pension after six years of service. It’s a span that’s of consequence to MPs first elected in the Oct. 21, 2019, general election who were set to miss out on hitting the six-year threshold by as little as a single day with the next federal vote scheduled for on or before Oct. 20, 2025.

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But Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc has introduced a suite of changes to the Elections Act. While it includes expanding days for advance voting and an easier process for mail-in ballots, it also moves the current proposed fixed election day from Oct. 20 to Oct. 27, 2025.

The extra week aims to move the election away from Diwali, a Hindu religious festival starting on Oct. 20 and lasting several days, as well as municipal elections in Alberta on Oct. 20.

That said, the decision to move the federal election a few days later, instead of earlier, is a decision that the Canadian Taxpayers Federation says will cost Canadians as much as $120 million, the estimated lifetime pension if all 80 MPs lose their seats.

MPs who don’t serve six years are refunded their pension contributions and those the government makes on their behalf, but are not entitled to a pension.

MPs can start receiving pension payments on a reduced basis as early as age 55 and qualify for a full pension at 65. While six years of service is the minimum, pension amounts grow with more years in Parliament.

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“This looks like the government is pushing back the election so more MPs can take a very lucrative, taxpayer-funded pension,” said Canadian Taxpayers Federation director Franco Terrazzano. “If politicians don’t want to look shady, then they should stop doing shady stuff like this.”

LeBlanc said overall the bill was about strengthening democracy.

“Our government believes that a strong democracy begins with enabling all Canadians to freely exercise their fundamental right to choose their representatives, and we’ll always be there to defend that right,” he said.

The Liberals lost seats in the 2019 election, as they moved from a majority to the first of now two minority governments. As a result, the primary beneficiary of this change would be Conservative MPs, 32 of whom won their seats for the first time in 2019.

The second largest number of MPs to benefit are 22 Liberals. The NDP have six MPs elected in 2019, and the Bloc Québécois have 20.

Here are the MPs who would qualify for a House of Commons pension under the proposed date change:

Aitchison, Scott, CPC, Parry Sound-Muskoka

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Anand, Anita, Liberal, Oakville

Atwin, Jenica, Liberal, Fredericton

Bachrach, Taylor, NDP, Skeena-Bulkley Valley

Baker, Yvan, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre

Baldinelli, Tony, CPC, Niagara Falls

Battiste, Jaime, Liberal, Sydney-Victoria

Bérubé, Sylvie, Bloc, Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou

Blanchet, Yves-François, Bloc, Beloeil-Chambly

Blanchette-Joncas, Maxime, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette-Témiscouata-Les Basques

Blois, Kody, Liberal, Kings-Hants

Bragdon, Richard, CPC, Tobique-Mactaquac

Brière, Élisabeth, Liberal, Sherbrooke

Brunelle-Duceppe, Alexis, Bloc,Lac-Saint-Jean

Chabot, Louise, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville

Champoux, Martin, Bloc, Drummond

Collins, Laurel, NDP, Victoria

d’Entremont, Chris, CPC, West Nova

Dalton, Marc, CPC, Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge

Dancho, Raquel, CPC, Kildonan-St. Paul

Desbiens, Caroline, Bloc, Beauport-Côte-de-Beaupré-Île D’Orléans-Charlevoix

Desilets, Luc, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles

Dong, Han, Independent, Don Valley North

Dowdall, Terry, CPC, Simcoe-Grey

Duncan, Eric, CPC, Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry

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Epp, Dave, CPC, Chatham-Kent-Leamington

Gaudreau, Marie-Hélène, Bloc, Laurentides-Labelle

Gazan, Leah, NDP, Winnipeg Centre

Gray, Tracy, CPC, Kelowna-Lake Country

Green, Matthew, NDP, Hamilton Centre

Guilbeault, Steven, Liberal, Laurier-Sainte-Marie

Hallan, Jasraj Singh, CPC, Calgary Forest Lawn

Jaczek, Helena, Liberal, Markham-Stouffville

Kelloway, Mike, Liberal, Cape Breton-Canso

Koutrakis, Annie, Liberal, Vimy

Kram, Michael, CPC, Regina-Wascana

Kurek, Damien, CPC, Battle River-Crowfoot

Kusmierczyk, Irek, Liberal, Windsor-Tecumseh

Lalonde, Marie-France, Liberal, Orléans

Larouche, Andréanne, Bloc, Shefford

Lattanzio, Patricia, Liberal, Saint-Léonard-Saint-Michel

Lawrence, Philip, CPC, Northumberland-Peterborough South

Lehoux, Richard, CPC, Beauce

Lemire, Sébastien, Bloc, Abitibi-Témiscamingue

Lewis, Chris, CPC, Essex

Louis, Tim, Liberal, Kitchener-Conestoga

Martinez Ferrada, Soraya, Liberal, Hochelaga

Mathyssen, Lindsay, NDP, London–Fanshawe

Mazier, Dan, CPC, Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa

McLean, Greg, CPC, Calgary Centre

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McPherson, Heather, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona

Melillo, Eric, CPC, Kenora

Michaud, Kristina, Bloc, Avignon-La Mitis-Matane-Matapédia

Morantz, Marty, CPC, Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley

Morrison, Rob, CPC, Kootenay-Columbia

Normandin, Christine, Bloc, Saint-Jean

Patzer, Jeremy, CPC, Cypress Hills-Grasslands

Perron, Yves, Bloc, Berthier-Maskinongé

Powlowski, Marcus, Liberal, Thunder Bay-Rainy River

Redekopp, Brad, CPC, Saskatoon West

Rood, Lianne, CPC, Lambton-Kent-Middlesex

Ruff, Alex, CPC, Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound

Savard-Tremblay, Simon-Pierre, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe-Bagot

Shipley, Doug, CPC, Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte

Sidhu, Maninder, Liberal, Brampton East

Simard, Mario, Bloc, Jonquière

Soroka, Gerald, CPC, Yellowhead

Steinley, Warren, CPC, Regina-Lewvan

Therrien, Alain, Bloc, La Prairie

Tochor, Corey, CPC, Saskatoon-University

Trudel, Denis, Bloc, Longueuil-Saint-Hubert

Turnbull, Ryan, Liberal, Whitby

Van Bynen, Tony, Liberal, Newmarket-Aurora

van Koeverden, Adam, Liberal, Milton

Van Popta, Tako, CPC, Langley-Aldergrove

Vidal, Gary, CPC, Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River

Vignola, Julie, Bloc, Beauport-Limoilou

Vis, Bra, CPC, Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon

Weiler, Patrick, Liberal, West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country

Zuberi, Sameer, Liberal, Pierrefonds-Dollard

With files from Postmedia news

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