A review committee fronted by Justice John Major is currently collecting data to determine whether the severance package, or transition allowance, given to MLAs when they leave office is justifiable, which has prompted local opposition candidates and incumbent PC candidate Ray Danyluk to speak out on the issue.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), a not-for-profit citizen’s advocacy group dedicated to lowering taxes, has been outspoken regarding the transition allowances and provided several recommendations to the committee earlier this year.
Some of the recommendations include banning all committee or extra pay, eliminating the transition allowance, taxing full MLAs’ salaries, posting MLA and cabinet expenses (including receipts) online and adopting a rule where cabinet takes a 10 per cent pay cut if they don’t balance the budget.
According to a province wide poll conducted by Abingdon Research last month, 79 per cent of Albertans agree the severance packages should be eliminated.
All of the opposition parties agree the MLA transition allowance should be cut out.
“We in the Wildrose think that most Albertans don’t get that kind of pay and that MLAs definitely shouldn’t get that type of pay,” said Shayne Saskiw, the Wildrose candidate for Lac La Biche-St.Paul-Two Hills.
“We think that’s exceptionally exorbitant,” he added. “No MLA should be getting three months of severance every year that they work.”
Local Liberal candidate John Nowak said his party is also committed to eliminating the “ginormous golden handshakes” given to MLAs.
According to the CTF, the cost to pay the 21 MLAs who have already announced plans to retire will be approximately $9.9 million. The severance is based on three months pay for every year a MLA serves.
“We would be looking at reducing the amount of months of the year they get paid and putting a maximum cap on the severance as well,” Nowak said.
Phil Johnson, NDP candidate for Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills, added he is against all of the severance packages and that his party has had that position for quite awhile.
Danyluk said he will go along with whatever Justice Major and the review committee decides. However, the amount of work involved for some members and the fact there is no pension in place makes the severance package adequate, he said.
“I’m happy that we have someone that’s independent that’s looking at it,” Danyluk said. “I’m not saying yes you should eliminate this or yes you should do that. I’m saying we have a Supreme Court judge who is looking at it and what that judge says I’ll abide with.
“What’s the definition of whether an individual is worth what he does? My definition is how you work for your constituency and how you work for the province,” he continued. “There’s a lot of MLAs and ministers out there that aren’t getting paid enough and I say that because a lot of them basically dedicate their life full-time to this work.”
Countering Danyluk, Nowak said he believes there aren’t too many jobs in industrial Alberta where you aren’t on call 24-hours a day.
“I work a couple of different jobs and every job that I work I’m on call 24 hours a day,” Nowak said. “I can guarantee everyone you speak to nowadays has some sort of responsibility to their work outside of regular hours.”
For Danyluk, the amount of money MLAs earn is mirrored by the amount of knowledge they have as well as the seriousness with which they take their role as representatives of a constituency.
“At the end of the day you try to ensure that the people that you do have working for you that are MLAs have some knowledge, have some abilities and have some commitment,” Danyluk said. “Because if you think you’re going to pay somebody a pittance, then what happens is they won’t spend time with the people.”
“You want to get people in there that are credible, but dedicated to their community,” he added.
Justice Major’s office has said the MLA compensation review committee report won’t be revealed until the end of April.
