OTTAWA - Government and opposition MPs took only minutes last week to pass a bill that will extend Parliament's medical insurance plan to retired MPs five years earlier than it would otherwise be available.

The legislation will allow 50-year-old former MPs to receive topped-up medical and hospital benefits until they qualify for the normal parliamentary retirement plan that kicks in at age 55.

In a deal reached earlier in private, all parties agreed to treat the bill as though it had received first reading in the usual process, second reading, committee hearings, committee report stage, and third and final reading in only 15 minutes, according to the time notations in Hansard.

The bill did not leave the Commons floor and no committee hearings took place.

Only three MPs, government House leader Jacques Saada, former Conservative leader Joe Clark and Bloc Quebecois MP Benoit Sauvageau, spoke to the bill, all in support.

Although Mr. Saada claimed the bill puts MPs on an equal footing with public servants, who have access to their government health and dental plans in retirement, the Public Service Alliance of Canada says the bill is more generous than the public service plan.

[. . . .] The leading national lobby group against government waste and high taxes denounced the hasty passage as a "sweetheart deal" that makes MPs of all stripes appear hypocritical when they claim the current health care system is serving ordinary Canadians well.

"It's appalling," said John Williamson, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, who added the sleight-of-hand procedure demonstrates MPs can act swiftly on measures that affect them directly while major issues drag on for months in Parliament.

"When it's in their best interest, the system works very well, thank you very much," said Mr. Williamson, arguing the bill and the generous parliamentary health scheme show even Liberal and NDP MPs recognize government health plans are not providing Canadians with adequate care.

[. . . .] MPs qualify for a pension after six years in the Commons, with the benefits increasing with each additional year of service.

The legislation was dubbed the "Wendy Lill bill" for the NDP MP who is retiring in part because she has multiple sclerosis.

For retiring MPs like Ms. Lill, with a known medical condition, the scheme will offer access to supplementary health insurance for drugs and specialized care that might not be accessible through private plans. [. . . .]

The bill must still be passed by the Senate.