Will he actually resign or not run for re-election?
Reasons why he would be retiring:
The NDP seems to be fading as a federal party at the moment so why do four more years?
The travel to and from Ottawa is gruelling for BC MPs. Twice a week you get a three hour time change, this is worse than any other MPs in the country. BC MPs have to spend more time in airports and in the air than any other MPs in Canada. Each week Murray Rankin spends about 24-26 hours travelling to and from Ottawa.
He will be close to 70 by the time of the next election.
The pension he will get from his time in parliament will be around $31,000 a year. You have to keep in mind his earnings as an MP are lower than what he was earning as a lawyer beforehand. He currently contributes close to 20% of his gross salary to the pension plan.
You make some solid points Bernard and while I don't necessarily disagree with some or most of them, I have little sympathy in general for politicians re: compensation and "sacrifice": they go in eyes wide open and know the score in advance in terms of the salary they can expect, the associated benefits and pensions etc - which is a hell of a lot more than those of us who cut our teeth in the professional private sector can generally ever say.
A senior manager in the private sector - depending on the industry of course - can and frequently does travel a hell of a lot more than any politician, is away from his own family as much or more, generally does not have a fully indexed, gold plated pension courtesy of the taxpayers awaiting him or her one day - and he or she can be fired virtually at will, anywhere, anytime at the pleasure of his boss(es).
I'm sure Mr Rankin will stumble along just fine on his MP's pension in addition to and in conjunction with whatever financial strategy he presumably had in place geared to retirement, from his former legal life.
**...I should add my mother spent her entire professional career working as a senior OR/Emergency/Charge nurse @ RJH - working days, nights, weekends, holidays - lost eight years' seniority after her second child was born in 1967 - and her nursing pension (considered to be quite good) - gives her a retirement income of about $48K/year. Mind you it required 38 years to achieve it however so you'll understand if l shed few tears for the Murray Rankin's of the world....
Edited by AllseeingEye, 01 November 2018 - 05:31 PM.