Pastoor’s Motion 501 asks MLAs to stop setting their own salaries and benefits
Edmonton – Bridget Pastoor, Alberta Liberal MLA for Lethbridge-East, is introducing her Motion 501 at the Legislature this afternoon. The motion calls for the creation of an independent committee to review MLA pay and benefits.
The motion reads, “Be it resolved that the Legislative Assembly urge the Government to establish an independent Commission to review the current salaries and benefits for Members of the Legislative Assembly and to report to the Government and this Assembly on whether the current overall remuneration for Members is fair and adequate.”
Pastoor is bringing the motion forward because she believes it’s fundamentally unfair that MLAs should have the power to set their own salaries, and that such power fosters an atmosphere of entitlement. Right now, the Premier and his Ministers can vote salary increases for themselves without any checks or balances, behind closed doors. In 2008, Cabinet voted themselves a 30% increase to their Ministerial allowances, 35% for the Premier – making Ed Stelmach the highest-paid Premier in Canada.
When the public objected, the Premier engineered modest salary cuts, 6% for himself and 3% for Cabinet – in other words, using the power to set salaries for purely political ends.
“If the Premier and his MLAs truly believe in transparency and accountability, I don’t see how they can vote against this motion,” Pastoor says. “An independent review committee would take the politics out of the compensation process and give Albertans more trust and confidence in their elected officials.”
Pastoor notes that a review committee would present the Assembly with reasonable compensation options, with comparisons to other Canadian jurisdictions. “We’d be able to vote on a compensation package with a clear conscience,” Pastoor says.
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