Entire forests have been razed to produce the newsprint devoted
to denouncing the MP pension plan.  You know the story.  They
contribute a pittance. They pocket a windfall. And they qualify
for a fully indexed government-backed pension payment at age 55
after just six years of service.  The average Canadian employee
struggling toward an uncertain pension upon retirement after 40
years on the job could only grind their teeth as they filled out
their tax returns.  Reform Party MPs breezed into Ottawa almost
20 years ago, including a rookie named Stephen Harper, vowing to
kill it and never accept an MP pension. Within a few years they
not only accepted the pension, but bought back years of
pensionable earnings to increase the feathering of their
retirement nest.  It was the ultimate sense of entitlement as
MPs sacrificed their principles to a self-interest.  This week,
the Conservatives redeemed themselves and, by extension, all
federal politicians now and in the future.  MPs will cough up a
lot more to qualify