Orwell was right

For every $1 parliamentarians contributed to their plan last year, taxpayers gave $24.36, said Thomas. That works out to a compounded total of $4.5 million in parliamentarian contributions compared with $110.7 million from taxpayers.

"It certainly provides peace of mind, knowing that you are one of a thousand people with a piece of a billion-dollar nest egg," CTF federal director Gregory Thomas said Friday about those eligible for the platinum plan.

To put it into perspective, the average Canada Pension Plan payout this year is $534.10 a month compared to $5,970 an average MP who retired last year receives.