Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Redford flounders on committee pay issue.

Thursday: News breaks on a committee that has not met since 2008 but yet pays MLAs $1000 per month. Redford responds that she was unaware of the situation: "I did not know," she said  “This, to me, is a ridiculous situation. It isn’t the way Albertans want politicians to be paid."  "It is not right"


Friday: We find out that Redford was not as unaware as she claimed when we learn that she sat on that very same committee from Oct 09 until Feb 2010.

Sunday: Redford said it is up to each individual member of her caucus to give back money they were paid for being on a committee that failed to meet for 39 months. It’s a personal decision,
 
Monday: It is no longer is a personal decision as Redford says that pay for committee work has been suspended for Tory members.



What a disaster this has been for the PC's. More of the entitlements that they voted for themselves get exposed to the light of day and a leader doing damage control who changes her story/position almost daily. And if the polls are any indication Alberta voters, who now are starting to pay more attention due to the upcoming election, are not finding the PC's and Redford's reactionary damage control very attractive.

Here is something to think about: The standing committee on privileges and elections was a category B ( MLAs paid per meeting) back in 2007 but the PCs changed that in 2008 making it category A ( meaning that MLAs get paid just because) Coincidentally 2008 was also the year that the Chair, PC MLA Ray Prins, last called the committee to meet.   Odd isn't it.


Want a good laugh. Read the minutes of the last time the standing committee on privileges and elections met back on November 17 2008  8:07AM.

Some highlights: 

Prins (Chair): Right. Following this motion, they’ll be approved by
the chair. If we didn’t do that, you wouldn’t be able to see them till
the next meeting, which could be 20 years from now.
Okay. All in favour of that motion?

Mr. Liepert: Well, I just want to get on the record that I find those
comments rather amusing considering the fact that this is as open
and transparent a way to discuss changes to the democratic process
– are you suggesting that we do it behind closed doors? I think this
is quite telling, Mr. Chairman.

Prins: Thank you.
If there are no further comments, I just want to add one more
comment myself, and that is that the final report back to the
Legislature from this committee will be tabled in the House as soon
as it can be put together, probably later this week, and we’ll look
forward to that.

We do have a motion to adjourn on the floor, so without further
comment all in favour?

Hon. Members: Agreed.

The Chair: Then we’re adjourned. Thank you very much.

.

The committee adjourned at 8:21 AM and has not met since. The pay cheques though continued.

3 comments:

thymara said...

Heather Forsyth and Guy Boutilier of the Wildrose Party are on the panel, as is Rachel Notley of the NDP.

Presumably, if for no other reason than to show support for Alberta Ardvark, the Wildrose members will resign from the committee and return whatever compensation they received.

Calgary Junkie said...

Remember Candidate Redford's promise of a "fixed" election date, which later morphed into Premier Redford's "range" of election dates ?

Has anyone read the fine print in that legislation ? I'm serious. Everyone is assuming that the election has to be called between Mar 1st and May 31st.
But I'm sure the BNA Act has something to say about Provincial elections. Our Constitution trumps legislation, and I bet it is only the Lieutenant Governor General who can call an electio (on the advice of the Premier). Plus Redford was saying that the budget has to be passed in the legislature first, before she will call an election.

OK, call me paranoid, but I just do not trust this slippery woman. Until I see tha actual writ dropped, all bets are off. Especially now that the polls are tightening.

Blame Crash said...

This is just the tip of the Fair-Share iceberg and it’s only going to get worse now that the public sector have improved their clout within this party of self-dealing swindlers. They see how everyone else in the party is living high on the hog, so it’s only natural that they’ll also be demanding some of that sweet “fair share” lucre.
You can count on there being a feeding frenzy if these free loaders are able to hoodwink Albertans.
The good news is they are in major panic mode and are looking scared and unsure. They can smell their demise and are in shock that it’s happening