My resolution for 2021 was to fill my life with the spirit of positivity and good will. The weather was great, the COVID-19 numbers were very low in Cape Breton and all seemed good.
Then along came the Julie Payette scandal and my spirit of positivity flew right out the window.
I’m on a rant now and all of the taxpayers in Canada should be.
The governor general is the federal vice regal representative of the Canadian monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth. The commission is for an unfixed term, but the usual term is five years.
Before the Payette scandal broke, I knew very little about this position. Now that I know more I am not too happy.
Payette resigned or was forced to resign after serving three years of her term. During those three years, she and her assistant created a toxic workplace, belittling staff to the point of tears. Shame on them!
Payette wasn’t fussy about doing many of the ceremonial duties associated with the position. Did she not realize that her position was ceremonial in nature?
So just what was she doing to earn her $255,000 salary each year. Who knows what she did each and every day? Certainly not working “nine-to-five.”
Rideau Hall, located in Ottawa, is the official residence of the governor general and the Canadian monarch when she comes to visit.
But Payette has never lived in this upscale form of government housing even though she wanted it extensively renovated.
After the governor general leaves office, the reward for service is an annual pension of $155,000. Not bad for three years on the job.
To add to the injustice, the retired governor general is entitled to an expense account of $100,000 each year, with very little accountability for what it is actually being used for.
The life expectancy for a Canadian female is 84 years. Given that Payette is 57 years old, that means that we will be paying her pension and expenses for another 27 years. Do the math on that!
Canada has four other retired governor generals living high on the hog. Do we ever see them after they leave office? No, they fade into the background. In effect, the retired governor general rakes in $255,000 a year along with other pensions they have accumulated along the way.
What can we do about it? We can start by contacting our local Cape Breton members of parliament - Mike Kelloway, 866-282-0699 and Jaime Battiste, 902-567-6275. These gentlemen are our gateway to the prime minister.
It’s our tax dollars so we have every right to demand that our money be spent wisely.
Yvonne Kennedy
Homeville
