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No Claw-backs for Baird

As published in the Ottawa Sun and Toronto Star: February 4 & 7, 2015

Now that John Baird has quit politics, he retires in publicly-padded security in spite of having contributed minimally to his MP pension scheme. Unlike seniors and disability pensioners, his ability to supplement his income will be limited only by ambition rather than earnings caps or “clawbacks”. Now that Baird has spare time, he might take a moment to advocate for Canada’s veterans; who are currently facing federal government lawyers who assert that, “…Ottawa has no special obligation to those who’ve fought the country’s wars and that it is unfair to bind the current government to promises made nearly a century ago by another prime minister.” Those same soldiers were definitely bound by the promises of their predecessors.

I sincerely hope that serving soldiers and potential recruits are aware of the government’s cynical indifference to Afghan veterans. While John Baird suffered a few thrown eggs in Palestine; to my knowledge no has tried to kill or injure him. I feel no special obligation to John Baird and I don’t appreciate being forced to subsidize his lifestyle according to the terms imposed by the previous Liberal prime minister. While Baird would be the perfect Israeli lobbyist, I doubt if he’ll resurface at the United Nations or anywhere that requires a gracious touch.