Stelmach jams it into reverse with rivals mounting pressure
Don Braid, Calgary Herald
Published: Saturday, November 21, 2009
What an odd new sight-- the stubborn Stelmach government suddenly throwing the gears into reverse, trying to look responsive and even mildly apologetic.
Premier Ed (so he's called in new social media pitches) now says he's ordered a review of MLAs' pay.
This comes after the cabinet, meeting in secret, awarded itself pay increases of up to 34 per cent last year.
It comes after the premier has said, time and again, that he has some influence over cabinet pay, but no say in general pay for MLAs.
So now he does have influence, it seems. Now he can order a review of all pay. Now he wants Alberta politicians to be "in the middle" rather than the best-paid politicians (and premier) in Canada.
And he does all this just as the Wildrose Alliance is launching a public citizens' task force into MLAs' pay and perks--an extremely dangerous move for the Tories.
But the premier's review looks like an inside job. A report will be prepared for Speaker Ken Kolwalksi, who is just now celebrating 30 years of devoted service to the legislature and his severance entitlement.
That report will then be reviewed by the same all-party committee that approved MLAs' raises last year. It might do something about pay next year.
In all this, there is no mention from Premier Ed of further actual pay cuts. But he does defend the $12,000 cut he's already taken--the one he represented as a 15 per cent reduction when in fact it was less than six per cent.
Stelmach still points to a news release that he says made it clear the reduction was to his premier's pay, not all his pay, and therefore the 15 per cent reference was appropriate.
But that news release was not clear. It didn't mention overall pay. Most Albertans reading it, unaware of the complex but juicy perks and top-ups MLAs receive, would think it was a reference to all pay.
The controversy has at least unmasked MLAs and ministers' compensation for what it is; a dense package of payments and entitlements that is extremely hard for the average taxpaying sucker to figure out.
The government also threw on the backup lights by introducing a series of last-minute amendments to Bill 50.
They establish a consumers' oversight committee on costs, give back some of the review power stripped from the Alberta Utilities Commission, and promise construction in stages to meet demand.
These tweaks are a tacit admission that the original bill went much too far by giving the (highly-paid) cabinet virtually dictatorial authority over a project that could cost $14 billion over time--with every penny coming from the electricity consumer.
The Tories' big slip on this one--the mistake that created an impression of authoritarian high-handedness that may never be erased--was to launch the power-line project without testing opinion and building support beforehand.
As former MLA and Senator Ron Ghitter says, "with anything this big you absolutely have to establish a buy-in from the public before you start."
The Liberals under leader David Swann have tackled the Tories head-on over Bill 50 and done an effective job. This week they put up a tough anti-Bill 50 video on YouTube. See: http://bit. ly/ RQ7jY
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