After beating him by about 1,600 votes, Premier Alison Redford has put 10,000 kilometres between herself and former leadership rival Gary Mar by appointing him to be the province's representative to Asia.
The appointment was announced Friday afternoon and will see Mar move to Hong Kong to take on what is a brand new position with an annual salary of $264,576.
Neither Minister of International Relations Cal Dallas nor Mar were available on Friday afternoon, but Mike Deising a spokesperson for the department, said it is important for Alberta to have a strong voice in Asia.
“We know clearly that Asia is going to be the future and success will really be defined by which provinces and countries can make the best connections in Asia.”
Deising insisted Mar's appointment was not a patronage post and that he is being sent to Asia because of his qualifications.
“Gary has a desire to continue to serve Albertans, he wants to serve Albertans and this position will allow him to do that.”
Mar was a Calgary lawyer prior to being elected an MLA in 1992. He served in several cabinet positions before being appointed the government's envoy in Washington, D.C.
“His credentials speak for themselves and his capabilities are well known,” said Deising. “His experience is broad, it is diverse and it will serve us really well in Asia.”
Opposition leaders were unimpressed with Mar's appointment.
Liberal leader Raj Sherman said it appears at the end of a contested race for the Tory leadership everyone is being resettled into a new post.
“There is room and a position for everyone and a big cheque for everyone,” he said. “All they did was change the leader, but nothing changed.”
Wildrose MLA Rob Anderson congratulated the premier for focusing on Asian markets, but had trouble believing Mar was the best candidate.
“Was a proper search done or was this more of a political appointment, a patronage appointment to make someone happy and stay on the team?”
He hoped Mar would do well in the new post, but said it doesn't look like politics has changed.
“When the first appointment after a leadership is the second-place guy, it doesn't sound to me like there was too much of a vetting or appointment process.”
In a statement, NDP leader Brian Mason said the appointment reeks of patronage.
“Gary Mar needs to get a real job,” said Mason. “He moves from one plum government job to another in between attempts to acquire high political office.”
He also argued the government should find the best person for the job, not the most politically helpful.
“These international positions, if they are needed at all, should be filled by merit, not by patronage and cronyism.”
