MP Pensions, Porky the Waste Hater and My Day as a CTF Intern
Today was Trough Day on Parliament Hill. I had the great CTF honour of donning the infamous Porky costume and joining 75 plastic pigs, as well as Federal Director Kevin Gaudet, National Research Director Derek Fildebrandt, and fellow intern Ashley Thomassen in forewarning Canadians of the arrival of the Class of ’04 to the lucrative MP Pension club.
Today was Trough Day on Parliament Hill. I had the great CTF honour of donning the infamous Porky costume and joining 75 plastic pigs, as well as Federal Director Kevin Gaudet, National Research Director Derek Fildebrandt, and fellow intern Ashley Thomassen in forewarning Canadians of the arrival of the Class of ’04 to the lucrative MP Pension club.
On June 28, 2010, 75 MPs who were elected in the 2004 general election will have served the 6-years necessary to be eligible for a gold-plated MP Pension upon their retirement after the age-55 requirement. The CTF has long opposed this pension scheme and has called for Parliament to bring Members’ pensions in line with the private sector.
Pension Pork is just one of the many ways in which our tax dollars are being abused by pork-passionate politicians. The visual today on Parliament Hill allowed us to convey that message in a creative and fun way, and it is that cutting-edge attitude that first attracted me to this organization.
This press conference has been a new and exciting experience for me. This was my first appearance in a national press conference and I never imagined in a million-years that my first press conference would feature me dressed in swine, surrounded by 75 of my brothers and sisters!
Planning for this press conference has been a major task for fellow intern Ashley and I since starting this internship. I learned how much work gets put into preparing for a day like this. From researching and calculating pension amounts, to preparing press releases, to hauling 75 hogs to and from Parliament Hill, I have a better knowledge (and a deeper respect) for the work that the CTF puts into the advocacy role they play on behalf of taxpayers.
Already, I feel like I am expanding my skill sets and developing a sophisticated understanding of how advocacy groups work and I’m confident this will serve me well into the future. Today was Trough Day on Parliament Hill. I had the great CTF honour of donning the infamous Porky costume and joining 75 plastic pigs, as well as Federal Director Kevin Gaudet, National Research Director Derek Fildebrandt, and fellow intern Ashley Thomassen in forewarning Canadians of the arrival of the Class of ’04 to the lucrative MP Pension club.
On June 28, 2010, 75 MPs who were elected in the 2004 general election will have served the 6-years necessary to be eligible for a gold-plated MP Pension upon their retirement after the age-55 requirement. The CTF has long opposed this pension scheme and has called for Parliament to bring Members’ pensions in line with the private sector.
Pension Pork is just one of the many ways in which our tax dollars are being abused by pork-passionate politicians. The visual today on Parliament Hill allowed us to convey that message in a creative and fun way, and it is that cutting-edge attitude that first attracted me to this organization.
This press conference has been a new and exciting experience for me. This was my first appearance in a national press conference and I never imagined in a million-years that my first press conference would feature me dressed in swine, surrounded by 75 of my brothers and sisters!
Planning for this press conference has been a major task for fellow intern Ashley and I since starting this internship. I learned how much work gets put into preparing for a day like this. From researching and calculating pension amounts, to preparing press releases, to hauling 75 hogs to and from Parliament Hill, I have a better knowledge (and a deeper respect) for the work that the CTF puts into the advocacy role they play on behalf of taxpayers.
Already, I feel like I am expanding my skill sets and developing a sophisticated understanding of how advocacy groups work and I’m confident this will serve me well into the future.
