The BC-NDP on the new MLA Pay Package

This editorial was run in several Black Press newspapers:

You get what you pay for and that's why members of the legislature (MLA’s) deserve their proposed raises.

An independent panel has researched the issue and decided our MLAs deserve raises totalling 29 per cent. That same panel also figures premier Gordon Campbell should get a pay boost of about 53 per cent.

Politicians, especially those in opposition, are quick to pounce on an easy score if it means they score political points with the electorate.

Thus, it comes as no surprise that Carole James, the NDP opposition leader, is on record as saying the raises are “too rich,” and her people will refuse to accept higher wages.

James is merely playing politics, which is, after all, her real job. James pulled a fast one on the Liberals a couple of years ago when first she supported the proposed raises, then turned around and made everyone else look like greedy money grubbers by flatly opposing the proposed increases.

The Opposition will certainly take the money; the NDP just has to find a way to rationalize their acceptance of it.

Numbers are pretty slippery when dealing with percentages, so let’s get real. Just what does an MLA make in B.C. these days? The answer is $76,100. That’s your basic backbencher whose most important job is to put his hand up when called upon in the legislature.

If you are a cabinet member, your salary goes up to $115,100. If you happen to be the premier, you can expect to make $121,100 per year.

Do you really want a guy making say 80 grand a year leading the province?

OK, let’s say Premier Campbell gets his raise and goes up to $186,000 a year. Is that not a reasonable wage to pay a guy to run the entire province?

Would it not be ridiculous to pay the premier roughly the same as what the average school superintendent gets right now? Well, that’s what’s happening.

It would not be out of line, in our view, to go even further and pay the premier $200,000 a year. That’s fair, especially when the guy who runs the entire country, the Prime Minister, gets only $300,000 a year.

And while we’re at it, let’s give our MLAs a solid pension plan. Hey, if you want great candidates to run for office, you better have some carrots to dangle in front of them. If you want to offer minimum wage, then expect Homer and Gomer to line up for those jobs.

With respect to the above, I agree with it completely however 2 things stand out with respect to the NDP's position on the new MLA pay package:

1) They (NDP Opposition) completely flip-flopped on this issue despite assurances by Carole James to the contrary. Harry Lali (NDP MLA for Yale-Lillioet) is already on public record supporting both the new MLA wage and benefit package. For her to turn it down and then meet with her caucus and then say we'll vote against the package but if it passes, we'll donate the extra pay above the $78,000 that MLA's make to charity and also accept the new pension plan is absolutely at the height of hypocrisy. I predict that if the NDP poll numbers hold and the BC Liberals win the '09 Provincial Election - Carole James is finished as NDP Leader

2) The NDP are already asking for suggestions from constituents about where to donate the difference between the MLA's present pay and the new MLA pay to charity. Question: Don't the NDP know already where they (NDP MLA's) want to donate the money. Carole James has already indicated that she'll donate the money to the Mary Manning Centre in Victoria and what's worse, NDP MLA's can even get a tax deduction for this donation to charity.

The NDP stance on the new MLA's pay package was despicable to say the least. If you publicly oppose the new pay package, then vote against it and opt-out of it if you don't like it. Mike DeJong (Government House Leader/Minister of Aboriginal Relations) said it best about Carole James's stance on the new MLA's pay package:

"Talk about leading your members into the Valley of Death"

At this point, it appears the NDP aren't ready to govern the province again and I personally hope that they never run this province again but more importantly it appears at this point that they are destined to sit in Opposition benches after the 2009 Election