Cornwall ON – Convicted Serial Killer Clifford Olson now collects Canada Pension; over $1000.00 per month. Our Prime Minister is attempting to use the situation to pander for votes. LINK
“This is a situation that has many, many Canadians upset and for good reason,” Harper said in London, Ont. “I’ve instructed the minister to look into what options are available to us to rectify this situation because it should be rectified.”
I agree with our PM. Frankly I think the death penalty should exist in Canada for people such as Mr. Olson. We as a society do not benefit by spending tax dollars for a case such as this. There is no issue of possible innocence or wrongful execution and the costs born by we taxpayers don’t make sense. I’m sure the families of his victims don’t take comfort in Mr. Olson getting 3 squares and hot showers every day either.
What bothers me in this situation is that Mr. Olson is 70. Last I checked in Canada you start getting full pension at 65 and some can get a partial pension even earlier.
It’s wonderful the Mr. Harper is sharing with the media that he wants changes, but why now?
Personally I think any monies earned by Mr. Olson during his lifetime since his conviction should be directed to the families of the victims. While the few dollars don’t compensate for the loss of life or loved ones Mr. Olson should not benefit from them.
What do you think Canada? Post your comments below.
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While I DO NOT see the Prime Minister Stephen Harper using this situation to pander for votes, I think the whole situation stinks! Clifford Olson went to jail in Pierre Trudeau’s Liberal era. Why didn’t the Liberal party of the day make sure that Olson wouldn’t be elegible for government pensions, etc? Perhaps they knew that stopping someones pension was UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
Presently, Olson must be receiving the Old Age Security Pension, Canada Pension Plan (as he was gainfully employed at one time), and perhaps the Supplement too as he is not presently gainfully employed. Talk about being paid for your crimes! Too bad we cannot deprive him of what is his right.
Although I do agree that Clifford Olsen MAY be eligible for some payments under the Canadian Pension, he is definitely NOT eligible for the amount he is receiving. I agree with Stan, that he was probably gainfully employed at one time, but he has been living off the Canadian Taxpayers for the past 25 years. His monthly pension amount is definitely more than the majority of seniors receive, and those seniors contributed to CPP until they reached the age of 65, and they spent NO time in prison. If the government believes that a pension should be paid, then I believe the monies should be either distributed to the families of those he murdered, or be given to support groups to help families dealing with these types of autracities.
Wow, Bob and Stan… real pair of geniuses here. Olsen is receiving money from your tax dollars and your concerned with the Liberals and his constitutional rights at the time of conviction! Well, we shouldn’t mess with Olsen’s human rights, right Bob and Stan? This man is a child killer! What about the rights of these poor children and their families? Why should violent criminals like this have any rights at all? How about stating “I think the CONSTITUTION should be amended!” or “I hope the current government TODAY fixes this problem!”
Radicals usually have a problem with empathy!
For shame
The real genius here is yourself Dave. They both do not agree with the fact that Olson receives a pension and supplement. But the laws and constitution at the time were exactly that. Should the constitution be amended? most likely, and I believe that Bob and Stan would both agree with that. In fact Stan specifically mentioned “too bad we cannot deprive him of what is his right”. But until any amendment is done, you cannot bend the constitution for anyone, Clifford Olson included. And most likely it would not go retroactive as well so Clifford Olson would be grandfathered in and probably not affected even if the CONSTITUTION were amended. My personal opinion, even jail or a bullet costs too much for Clifford Olson, he should have been tossed in a pit to rot, but the law and constitution at that time wouldn’t allow for that then, nor would it today.
Olson has been eligible to collect his pension for at least five years. Why now is it the Harper government trying to make hay with this politically at the vicims expense? Why would any of the families want to see the monsters name in print for political vote gains? Shame on Mr. Harper for releasing this with no real solution.
Keep in mind people that the cost of keeping him in jail probably exceeds $70,000 a year! I would LOVE to make that! Or – live free…make $1100 a month and not pay for anything. Crime does pay in this country!
A single disable person who has worked all their lives, contributed to society all of their life, becomes ill due to no fault of anyone, is looked down upon in our society, and receives $1042.00 per month. Jail is looking much more viable.
Can’t argue there willie. There’s a big problem in society when all you have to do is give up your civil rights and the state will spend that much money. The Harper government wants to mimic the US system more too which bodes not well for Canadian society.
Someone recently was talking to me about politics and reform and they said it always comes down to the same thing. Follow the money. Who gains by the government spending all this money to incarcerate people?
Yes, it’d be a lot less of a burden to society to give people enough to live on; a basic minimum income; than to pay the kinds of monies we do to prosecute and incarcerate them.
There are millions of Canadianswho would like to see maggots like Olson put in a hole for the rest of his miserable existance. When you are a murderer, you no longerhave the “privilege” of living in a civilized society. It is not a right!! Police and detectives are allowed to use deception when interrogating
criminals, and after they paid this scum $100,000.00 to show them where his victims were buried, they
should have told him “Sorry Cliff, it was only interrogation tactics”. Scum have to earn any rights they
may have re-instated to them. This maggot just learned how to screw the system. They should either
1) Charge him room and board.
2) have the courts order any assets be given to victim’s families.
3)End the political madness and get these ridiculous laws changed.
Just how many incarcerated seniors do we have?
Surely not enough that would even match the junket travel of a Guerguis or two, or the liquid lunches of our senators. No, it’s more likely an issue raised to inflame and divert public attention from the real government travesties.
If pensions are clawed back because someone is incarcerated at public expense, it would be a short step to claw back the pension of someone in subsidized seniors care, or someone confined longterm to hospital.
That’s what you can expect from the false-faced crowd we have on Parliament Hill. The kind with gold plated pensions and premium health care after a whole six years (at the trough). The kind that let companies abscond with their employees pensions, and claw back the pensions of our veterans.
The good thing about the system is that Olson will never be released. I’m not sure, but I suspect that any pension money he collects will be recouped when he croaks.
Gerry, I’ve been saying that there is probably something else going on that this is supposed to in part, cover up. I agree wholeheartedly with your statement.
Furtz you said ” but I suspect that any pension money he collects will be recouped when he croaks.”
Yes it will be recouped, I bet you by the government and not his victims though.
When I was in school we were taught that if you committed a crime and were put in jail you lost all your civil rights….. you would not be allowed to vote, you couldn’t make money from any cruime you committed, you would not be given a passport so could not travel outside Canada….. is this not true anymore???
What about the families of these poor children??? Do they not have any rights either????
It seems to me that the criminals now have more rights than your average non-criminal?
I may be a bit of a pollyanna but I think … when a crime as vicious as what this man did to those kids
is committed ….. they have no rights ….. and if this was made a fact then maybe, just maybe, some of these bad people would think twice about what they are going to do.
In China, if you are put in gaol it is up to your family members to see that you have food and clothing every day…. the government does not take responsibility for any of it.