Money and politics in Canada

I completely agree with Tuns on this one;

I should note that the real scandal is the limitations we put on money in politics and our hang-ups about buying politicians. I find absolutely nothing wrong with paying a former politician to lobby a government that follows. But Mulroney received money before he left office, you might protest. That is a little more controversial, but I still think people should be allowed to buy politicians -- candidates and office-holders -- as long as it is all in the open.

However, I can't say the same about former Prime Ministers who wear out their welcome after being defeated or resigning their leadership only to collect more unnecessary money from Canadian taxpayers. Here are some examples:

• After his second election defeat in '88, John Turner stepped down as Liberal leader only to completely disappear from the political map (as well as the House of Commons) while retaining his Vancouver-Quadra seat and, in turn, collecting a full salary -- about $47,000 annually -- until June 22nd, 1990 (almost two years after the fact). The reasoning? If he doesn't hang onto his seat, the Liberals might otherwise lose it in an ensuing by-election. In other words, [he] has put the fortunes of his party ahead of the citizens of Vancouver-Quadra and taxpayers as they are denied an active member in that riding.
• For those taxpayers who believed that they'd paid the last bill for Brian Mulroney when Kim Campbell was sworn in as prime minister on June 25, 1993, you were wrong. Mulroney continued to receive a salary and expenses as a member of parliament -- about $85,000 annually -- until he formally quit after the October 25th general election where his party was reduced to two seats in the house of commons.
• The same can be said for Paul Martin who many can remember resigned as Liberal leader back in late January 2006 the night of his election defeat in front of a crowd of emotional supporters in his Montreal riding of LaSalle-Émard. Well, it's coming upon two years since that day, not to mention, a new Liberal leader, Stephane Dion, has been installed (last December) by party members/delegates. Regardless, Martin still choses to hold onto his seat which is worth about $131,400 annually to taxpayers. Why? Because much like former Liberal leader John Turner, Paul Martin believes the fortunes of the Liberal party, and preventing a by-election defeat, are much more important than the right for people in that riding to have an active member of parliament. By the time he [Martin] leaves office for good, he will have cost Canadian taxpayers clearly more than the $300,000 in cash which Mulroney allegedly accepted from a private citizen, Karlheinz Schreiber, after he had left office.

Again, I'm not suggesting that Mulroney should get off scott free for his actions in this affair, I just think we need to put it all in perspective here, especially from a taxpayers' point of view.