The widow of former Liberal senator Rod Zimmer could collect millions from his pension, according to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF). The former senator died Tuesday at the age of 73.
Maygan Sensenberger, 27, is set to collect a survivor’s pension of $19,700 a year for the rest of her life, the federation calculated.
And assuming she lives until the age of 90, she would collect $2.4 million in survivor benefits, accounting for a cost of living adjustment of two per cent each year, the CTF said.
READ MORE: Ex-senator Rod Zimmer, who made headlines in controversies, dead at 73
“It just shows how generous the pension plans for senators and MPs are,” said CTF research director Jeff Bowes. “These plans are far more generous than what Canadians can expect and I think this is a controversial example that demonstrates that.”
Zimmer was known as an athlete, fundraiser, corporate executive and a senator from Manitoba. But it was his marriage in 2011 to Sensenberger, then a 22-year-old aspiring actress, that made him a target for gossip around Parliament Hill.
In 2012, the couple were involved in a dispute on a Saskatoon flight and Sensenberger pleaded guilty to causing a disturbance on an aircraft and received a suspended sentence with probation.
In 2013, Zimmer, who was appointed in 2005 by former prime minister Paul Martin, resigned due to health concerns.
READ MORE: Critical audit outlines systemic issues in senators’ expense claims
More recently, Sensenberger was charged in 2015 after two people at an Ottawa medical clinic were attacked with a lit cigarette and a hand-held fan, according to the Ottawa Citizen. During the arrest at her Ottawa home she was accused of assaulting and threatening three police officers while holding kitchen knives.
Global News attempted to reach Sensenberger but was unsuccessful.
The former senator was among nine senators, two sitting and seven retired, who were named in a 2015 Senate spending report by auditor general Michael Ferguson. The report indicated he owed $176,000 in improperly claimed expenses – due to the fact he claimed Winnipeg as his primary residence, but spent the vast majority of his time in Ottawa.
“We are concerned about the $176,000 that the auditor general indicated the senator owed because of improper claims,” said Bowes. “What this highlights is the unaccountability of the Senate. The archaic, unelected nature of the Senate clearly doesn’t encourage good behaviour.”
*With files from the Canadian Press
Comments