One of the trickiest things to pass in politics has to be the Smell Test. And it’s frightening, at times, to witness the extent of Dysosmia (also known as olfactory dysfunction) that exists. It’s not just the fake lake. It’s MPs “allowing” the Auditor General to review their expenses, but rejecting a permanent move toward accounting for the $500 million in tax dollars they spend every year. But mostly, this week, it’s Eleanor Clitheroe.
You may recall Clitheroe as last having received $2.2 million in salary in her final year as CEO of Hydro One in 2001. Now she’s an Anglican priest (career change) who is in court fighting to increase her government pension. Now, technically, Clitheroe doesn’t have to pass the Smell Test because she’s no longer a public official. But it was fascinating to see that she was arguing in court that she couldn’t possibly support ailing relatives on her monthly pension of $25,637.08. How do people do it? She is seeking an increase to $33,644.21 per month.
Thankfully, the Ontario government passed the Smell Test in 2002 when it passed Bill 80, to limit the huge compensation packages of the sort the former Hydro One boss had been receiving, including supplementary pensions. That didn’t stop Clitheroe’s lawyer from arguing to reporters: “Her mother is not well, and her husband has not been well. . . She’s the sole breadwinner in the family and has been for years.” Those circumstances are unfortunate, but do not make her unique from millions of working Canadians, whose average yearly (not monthly) pension according to recent data is $14,800, or less than half of what Clitheroe says she needs each month.
This is not the first time Clitheroe, whose church is in Smithville, outside Hamilton, has fought for more cash. She lost the first time in court, and is now trying to win on a Charter of Rights and Freedoms argument. We say good luck to to her. But let her case, and a few others wafting around lately, serve as a timely reminder that Canadians, when it comes to these sorts of matters, often display Hyperosmia (an abnormally acute sense of smell).
