Down in the polls, unpopular within his own party and fresh off running the largest deficit in Alberta’s history, MLA Richard Marz has chosen to not to run in the next provincial election.
But don’t worry about Mr. Marz, the half-million dollar handshake he is about the receive will certainly liven up his retirement.
According to estimates from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), Mr. Marz will be eligible for a transition allowance of about $560,000 if the next provincial election is held next March. It is an estimate only; Mr. Marz could be eligible for even more if the election is postponed or if he picks up a few plumb committee appointments in the meantime.
Transition allowance, of course, is the money you and I pay to politicians who either lose an election or quit. It is based on three month’s salary for each year served as MLA. This does not include the government’s retirement plan, which also provides MLAs with an RRSP allowance equal to 50 per cent of the maximum contribution limit.
Following the 2008 election, taxpayers were stuck with a bill for more than $8 million in transition allowances for 20 retiring MLAs and 13 who were fired by their constituents.
Mr. Marz, of course, was first elected 15 years ago, joining a Klein PC government that had already taken its major steps towards tackling the Getty-era deficits. In 1994, MLAs cut their own salaries by five per cent, but that was before Mr. Marz’ time. Since Mr. Marz was elected in 1997, MLA pay has increased 11 times by a whopping 36.18 per cent compounded.
Only after widespread public outcry did the government choose to freeze MLA pay increases on Dec. 2, 2009, 15 months into a recession that threw thousands of regular Albertans out of work.
As a backbench MLA, Mr. Marz still pulls down a sweet $78,138 salary including a $26,046 tax-free allowance. Of course, he also serves on six committees, bringing in up to $3,500 extra per month.
Mr. Marz’ leader has set an even worse example. On the eve of the 2008 recession, Ed Stelmach gave himself a 34 per cent wage increase, making him the highest paid premier in Canada. He also gave his cabinet ministers a $42,000 increase. MLAs all received a 4.53 per cent increase that year as well.
Politicians setting their own salaries - depositing your money directly into their pockets - is absolutely indefensible. It is the most blatant form of institutionalized corruption left in the Western world. Taxpayers are disgusted. It is wrong and it must change.
It’s no wonder the CTF has launched an online petition (available at http://taxpayer.com) demanding that politicians stop setting their own salaries. The CTF wants a citizens’ assembly to decide what MLA pay should be.
It’s a great idea, and one that will never be approved by the PC government, which has a 40-year track record of feathering its own MLAs’ nests.
Albertans’ best hope to reform this disgusting practice is to elect the Wildrose Alliance party. The Wildrose pledges an independent process for setting cabinet and MLA pay.
The Wildrose also pledges to post MLA expenses online as well as establish the “essential democratic tools” of voter recall and citizen-initiated referenda, giving regular Albertans the chance to rein-in any out-of-control government in the future. Add fixed election dates for general elections, Senate elections, the budget and legislative sessions and you get by far the best democratic reform platform of any party in Canada.
Left-wing politicians also oppose government MLAs setting their own salaries. The Liberals introduced a motion in the legislature calling for “an independent commission to review the current salaries and benefits” of MLAs in February, 2010. The motion was approved unanimously, although the government refused to make the review’s recommendations binding. The matter was then sent to the PC-dominated members’ services committee, and to date the government has refused to establish the review.
In short, The PC government ran and hid.
PC MLAs like Mr. Marz have spent the past 40 years looking for excuses, grasping at straws, trying to justify something they know – in their hearts – is just plain wrong.
The good news is we don’t have to rely on them any more. The good news is we have a choice. In the next election, there will be real left-wing and right-wing alternatives to the self-serving and morally-corrupt government of this province.
We don’t have to hold our noses and vote PC. We have a choice. We can stand up and demand better.
Could this be why Mr. Marz is ready for his half-million dollar handshake?
