I was glancing through some headlines, and noticed a mention of Julie Payette – engineer and astronaut and sometime the Queen’s representative in Canada – which brought back vague memories. She was appointed Governor-General by Justin Trudeau in 2017. Ms. Payette resigned in 2021, amidst claims that she created a ‘toxic work environment’, with allegations of verbal abuse and belittling of staffers.
Whatever the case, she went off into that long, comfortable good night of government ‘retirement’ at the sprightly age of 56 (she is currently 62). I was surprised to read that she will receive a lifetime pension of nearly $150,000 – well, she was Governor-General – but can also claim an additional $206,000 in expenses each year. I’m not sure what Ms. Payette can possibly ‘expense’, given she is no longer in the role, but perhaps I’m missing something. That’s $356,000 per year, along with other benefits, until she shuffles off this mortal coil.
And she is one of legions – every MP, MPP and bureaucrat, every firefighter, police officer, teacher, university professor, administrator and worker in hospitals, cities, military, city or provincial or federal worker – all get a perpetual payout, almost all, if not all, of them in the sunshine of six figures. One wonders who is left in the diminishing private sector paying for it all.
But ’tis no wonder why everyone wants government work. After their day is done – all the while still in their productive late 40’s or 50s – it’s money for nothing, and your checks – or cheques – for free. At least, from the perspective of those still in the ‘working class’, who can only dream of such gold-plated retirement packages. For many of the hoi polloi, it’s work ’til you drop, or go on the measly CPP.
This stagnant swamp of socialism, about which de Tocqueville and many others warned, is unsustainable. To paraphrase the late, great Margaret Thatcher, it all seems to sort of work until you run out of other people’s money. Then, there is the cliff…
