LONDON, Ont. - It looks like Joe Fontana’s generous federal pension will be safe after all.

A private member’s bill that’s expected to be up for a final vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday has been watered down to remove retroactivity, allowing Fontana, a former London mayor, Liberal MP and cabinet minister, to keep his pension.

Fontana resigned as mayor last July after he was convicted for phony expenses filed in 2005, when he was an MP. His 18 years on Parliament Hill still entitle him to an annual pension estimated at $122,000.

London-Fanshawe MP Irene Mathyssen said it’s ironic Fontana will be supported by taxpayers after being convicted of fraud and breach of trust while serving as an MP.

“People work hard all their lives and don’t cheat and don’t see the benefit and they see someone rewarded who is less than honourable. That’s sad,” the NDP MP said.

New Brunswick Conservative MP John Williamson, a former director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, introduced a bill in June 2013 that would strip MPs and senators of the taxpayer-funded portion of their pensions if they’re convicted of any serious crime.

The bill was originally crafted to be retroactive, covering offences that occurred before the bill was introduced.

The bill passed second reading, but when it was reviewed by a House committee, Conservative MPs introduced amendments that removed the retroactivity, meaning it would apply only to parliamentarians convicted of offences after the bill is passed.

Conservative amendments also narrowed the list to 24 Criminal Code offences that would trigger pension revocation, including fraud and breach of trust.

NDP members accused the Tories of trying to protect Dean Del Mastro, a Conservative MP who recently resigned after being convicted of offences under the Election Act.

The NDP has moved motions to restore original parts of the bill but Mathyssen conceded the watered-down version will likely pass.

Aaron Wudrick, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director, said making the bill retroactive to cover Fontana is risky because it would be vulnerable to constitutional challenges.