Friday, June 06, 2008

$telmach

I don’t generally take issue with politicians giving themselves pay raises – it’s tough work and we need to encourage the best and brightest to run.

And while a million dollars is a small price to pay for ditching Ed Stelmach, this strikes me as a bit excessive:

Alberta's premier and other senior elected officials will receive more than $1 million in severance pay when they retire, a taxpayers group said yesterday.

Just days after Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach approved a hefty pay hike for himself and his 23 cabinet members, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation said the raises aren't the end of the big bucks some are set to receive.

"It's significant dollars," said Scott Hennig, Alberta federation director.

"The severance breaking seven digits - it's certainly the most generous severance in all of Canada."

Speaker Ken Kowalski is expected to receive severance totalling more than $1.3 million if he retires in the next four years, according to the federation.

The jump in severance pay comes after Stelmach gave himself a $54,000 salary increase, for an annual salary of $213,000, making him the highest paid premier in Canada.

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posted by calgarygrit at 5:13 p.m.

8 Comments:

  • Hey, you get what you pay for..

    ..and boy are we paying for it.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:42 p.m.  

  • it’s tough work and we need to encourage the best and brightest to run.
    You really don't understand politics....

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:45 p.m.  

  • Didn't take enough math and stats courses at university? -).

    Do the calculation for the lump sum value the pension plan of a Federal MP after merely six years of service, or a Federal Cabinet minister after merely six years of service, and compare that to long serving Alberta MLA's and ministers, and you will discover that the Alberta payouts are not particularly generous in comparison.

    By Blogger whyshouldIsellyourwheat, at 8:33 p.m.  

  • Is Mr. High-pay Stelmach even aware of the festering sore the nation is quietly watching develop in Vancouver?

    Sample comment:

    **Finally - the Calgary Herald (Fri) - has a strongly worded editorial directed at Premier Ed to "keep his election promise". As in - do something with this dreadful AB HRC.

    It has been a long time coming, but at least it is never to late for the media to engage.
    Posted by: Calgary Clippper at June 6, 2008 11:08 PM **

    ** ET, I'm betting they are acquitted as I posted earlier to irwin. Taking this folly completely off of the cliff is going to cost them their jobs. As parasitical bureaucrats I'm sure they are figuring out which option keeps them employed. Liberal politicans don't want them to put Canadians in a mood to reflect on how this mess got started and the voting alternatives.

    Keep in mind that the CHRC has never had to cope with the deluge of negative press coverage or public interest before.**

    ** I TOO got a fund-raising phone call from the Conservatives today, and when I said that my continued support would depend on the actions of the party re. these kangaroo courts, her reaction was "Uh-oh, another one." Someone high up in the party is going to be catching an earfull on this, keep it up.**

    ** The Liberals must be tying themselves in purple dinosaur knots right about now, trying to figure out how not to look like the complete fools that they are, having been the architects of this putrid mess. I'll bet they are going insane trying to figure out how to put this genie back in the bottle. Kick-ass indeed. Their own. And damn hard too.

    "The Just Society". It is to laugh. I suggest a new motto for them: "A kangaroo in every pot".**


    ** I weep for this country.
    Posted by: Malcolm Cross at June 6, 2008 6:14 PM **

    Just wonder if *High-Pay ED*... and I like the guy, has any idea of how damaging his HRC commission is?

    The CBC is even coming to life on this one, although they would prefer to sweep it under the carpet. = TG

    By Blogger TonyGuitar, at 1:06 a.m.  

  • I think the big problem in all this...and the Taft Liberals have said this many times...it's not how much MLA's are getting, it's how their raises (which in turn increases the severance) are developed.

    Taft, Blakeman, Taylor and Swann have all said in the media they want to stop the self-induced pay hikes, and aren't really addressing the actual pay issue.

    I don't think there is a problem with them getting a raise, it's not easy doing that job. But Tory MLA's saying in the press "we deserve more" is simply arrogant and they deserve a kick in the ass. None-the-less no employee or boss should decide their own raises. It is unethical in every private sector business you look at. No CEO sets his or her own salary. This is why an independent committee should be set up to oversee all of this crap.

    By Blogger Dan McCarthy, at 9:10 a.m.  

  • what about the comparison between California and Alberta? The Premier makes more than the Governor and that California's legislature sits all year while Alberta sits for about 80 days. California's population and economy are vastly larger than ours. Does that factor into whether they deserve a pay raise? let alone a 34% one.

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