Die Neue Zeit
6th July 2010, 03:06
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Politics/20100704/mps-extra-income-100704/
Excerpt:
OTTAWA — Nearly half of Canada's members of Parliament are moonlighting, running businesses or collecting income above and beyond their six-figure salaries.
A review of recent disclosure statements filed with Parliament's ethics commissioner shows that 151 of Canada's 308 MPs are either receiving an outside income or have an ownership stake in an outside business.
The analysis for The Canadian Press found that 103 MPs are owners or part owners of businesses, ranging from fast-food restaurants, a bakery and wilderness tours to holding companies, farms or real-estate investment.
The filings also show that 99 MPs each received more than $10,000 in income from outside sources in the previous year, in addition to their base salaries of $157,731.
Forty-eight MPs collect pensions -- most of them from governments. Another 51 listed income ranging from speaking and consulting fees to rental and farm income.
Fifty-one MPs listed both outside income and outside business interests.
Even two of four party leaders in the House of Commons list outside interests.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff collects rent from a property he co-owns in France, as well as fees from public speaking, freelance journalism and book writing -- all on top of his annual $233,247 salary.
NDP Leader Jack Layton is the owner of the Green Catalyst Group Inc., has a 25 per cent interest in Layton Holdings Ltd., is a joint owner of an investment property in Toronto and collects a municipal pension.
Neither Prime Minister Stephen Harper nor Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe listed any outside jobs, companies or income.
While there are some restrictions for cabinet ministers, MPs are allowed to hold as many outside jobs and own as many companies as they like.
Unlike the United Kingdom, there is no requirement for MPs to publicly disclose how much they earn from outside interests, just whether they earned more than $10,000. Nor do they have to disclose how many hours they spend on those outside jobs.
The only restriction is that they can't use their parliamentary office or their position as an MP to benefit their private businesses.
Some question the practice, saying MPs are well paid and expected to perform a full-time job. Others suggest it would be hard to attract candidates if MPs had to ditch their professions and businesses, leaving them nothing to fall back on should they lose an election.
Puh-leez. Should MPs lose elections, surely they could fall into this kind of employment program (http://www.revleft.com/vb/public-employer-last-t124658/index.html) if they can't transition into ordinary life quickly enough?
Excerpt:
OTTAWA — Nearly half of Canada's members of Parliament are moonlighting, running businesses or collecting income above and beyond their six-figure salaries.
A review of recent disclosure statements filed with Parliament's ethics commissioner shows that 151 of Canada's 308 MPs are either receiving an outside income or have an ownership stake in an outside business.
The analysis for The Canadian Press found that 103 MPs are owners or part owners of businesses, ranging from fast-food restaurants, a bakery and wilderness tours to holding companies, farms or real-estate investment.
The filings also show that 99 MPs each received more than $10,000 in income from outside sources in the previous year, in addition to their base salaries of $157,731.
Forty-eight MPs collect pensions -- most of them from governments. Another 51 listed income ranging from speaking and consulting fees to rental and farm income.
Fifty-one MPs listed both outside income and outside business interests.
Even two of four party leaders in the House of Commons list outside interests.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff collects rent from a property he co-owns in France, as well as fees from public speaking, freelance journalism and book writing -- all on top of his annual $233,247 salary.
NDP Leader Jack Layton is the owner of the Green Catalyst Group Inc., has a 25 per cent interest in Layton Holdings Ltd., is a joint owner of an investment property in Toronto and collects a municipal pension.
Neither Prime Minister Stephen Harper nor Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe listed any outside jobs, companies or income.
While there are some restrictions for cabinet ministers, MPs are allowed to hold as many outside jobs and own as many companies as they like.
Unlike the United Kingdom, there is no requirement for MPs to publicly disclose how much they earn from outside interests, just whether they earned more than $10,000. Nor do they have to disclose how many hours they spend on those outside jobs.
The only restriction is that they can't use their parliamentary office or their position as an MP to benefit their private businesses.
Some question the practice, saying MPs are well paid and expected to perform a full-time job. Others suggest it would be hard to attract candidates if MPs had to ditch their professions and businesses, leaving them nothing to fall back on should they lose an election.
Puh-leez. Should MPs lose elections, surely they could fall into this kind of employment program (http://www.revleft.com/vb/public-employer-last-t124658/index.html) if they can't transition into ordinary life quickly enough?