Obviously everyone thinks they deserve to be paid more than they do.
It’s just human nature.So it came as no surprise last week when Tom Christensen and George Abbott let it be known that compensation for MLAs could always be better. With politicians’ salaries always such a hot issue with the public, it made sense that they picked their words carefully. But I’m still left wondering if they really understand why the issue is so controversial. “I’m not complaining (about his wage) but when you look at what I could make in the private sector, there’s a difference,” said Christensen, who is a lawyer. From Abbott, we heard, “Relative to the responsibilities
as law-makers, the compensation is out of proportion to the private sector and public sector ministries.” All of what they say is likely true, but ultimately it was Christensen who decided to walk away from his lawyer’s job. Any drop in revenue was self-inflicted and not the fault of taxpayers. In terms of Abbott — who was a college instructor and farmer in a previous life — there’s nothing stopping him from entering the private sector. It was a choice he made to become a full-time politician. But Abbott certainly makes a valid point that being an MLA and cabinet minister comes with a certain degree of responsibility. However, there are countless others in society who experience similar burdens for far less. As an example, the mayor of Vernon earns $60,043 a year, substantially less than the $115,100 both Christensen and Abbott pocket for being an MLA and a cabinet minister. Of course there’s also lots of people who would just like to have a full-time job let alone come close to the $76,100 base salary MLAs receive. Increasingly, the working poor are heading to food banks because they aren’t making enough to purchase groceries. Many of the men who stay at the Howard House shelter have jobs but can’t afford a place to live. Or consider that at the same time politicians may get more coin, many parents fear child care costs will soar because of provincial government cuts. Now don’t get me wrong, being an elected official isn’t a picnic. As someone who has followed politics for almost 17 years, I came to the realization long ago that is a thankless task.
There are critical decisions to make, long hours at meetings and constantly being away from family whether they are here, Victoria, Ottawa or elsewhere. And of course, the verbal abuse from constituents is overwhelming. You’re always to blame for something. I have a lot of respect for the political profession, as our democratic system would grind to a halt without them (and my job would become very boring). I believe most of them are there for the right reason — community service — and not for a big, fat cheque. However, I would hope that when B.C.’s MLAs consider an independent report on remuneration, they will remember that it’s not their money they’re voting on. It comes from a lot of hard-working British Columbians. The most recent attempt to raise compensation died because of the public furor over a proposed 14 per cent. Perhaps this time, they will put forward something more reasonable instead of shooting for the moon.
No comments:
Post a Comment