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How much is that Senate in the window?

The NDP say nine new Senators will cost more than $3 million a year

Jim Flaherty, November 27We cannot ask Canadians to tighten their belts during tougher times without looking in the mirror. Canadians have a right to look to government as an example. We have a responsibility to show restraint and respect for their money. Canadians’ tax dollars are precious. They must not be spent frivolously or without regard to where they came from.

Each new senator is apparently bound to an eight-year term limit. At $132,300 per year, not including mandated annual wage increases, that’s just over a million each. In a release today, the NDP claims the cost of salary, staffing and other expenses for nine more senators will be more than $3-million per year. And surely the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is already doing the calculations on what sort of pension each is likely to walk with.

So who will be the first senator to step forward, renounce his or her pension and volunteer to take a pay cut?

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