Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater MLA Jeff Johnson will return money he received as a member of the now infamous no-meet committee.
PC party leader Alison Redford changed course last week on the controversial committee and said her MLAs would refund all of the money they earned for sitting on the non-meeting committee, or they would not sit in her caucus after the election.
Johnson, who was not on the committee when the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation drew light to the issue earlier this year, said he has every intention of following Redford’s orders.
“I will be sitting in caucus after the election so that should answer your question.”
Johnson was put on the committee shortly after the 2008 election and said he left it toward the end of 2009 or early 2010. He said he is not sure how much he will be required to pay back, but he will calculate that at the end of the campaign.
Prior to the announcement of the complete refund and before the campaign was underway, PC caucus members announced they would return approximately $6,000, a sum equal to the amount members received since Redford was sworn in last fall.
Wildrose and Liberal MLAs gave the full amount back before the PC caucus announced their $6,000 refund.
Johnson said the issue of MLA pay is a broader issue than just the one committee, but repaying the money shows Albertans that the party is listening.
“Just to demonstrate that we are hearing what the people are concerned about and we are willing to deal with it.”
He said the committee rightly draws anger and concern from Albertans, but there is a bigger issues at play that Redford addressed with her appointment of Supreme Court Justice John Major to review the issue.
“It has been a lightning rod for a bigger issue and it is an issue that our premier took action on back in November.”
Johnson’s opponents argue Redford’s decision this week is nothing more than crass politics.
“All of a sudden, when they realize they are tanking in the polls than they decide it is an election issue and then she does the right decision,” said Wildrose candidate Travis Olson.
Olson asked why Redford didn’t make the decision earlier.
“My question is would she be doing the right decision if it wasn’t during an election.”
NDP candidate Mandy Melnyk argues Johnson could have been more forthright about his membership on the committee.
“I think it would have been good politics for him to come out and say yes I was on there and yes I will give the money back.”
NDP MLA Rachel Notley now stands as the only MLA who has not pledged to return the funds, but Melnyk points out MLAs are paid for a maximum of three committees and Notley sat on more than that.
Melnyk said Notley’s pay would not have changed if she had not sat on that committee.
She said her party supports an independent review of MLA pay that has lots of input from the public.
“We support and called for a review on how MLAs are paid and we want a very open, transparent process.”
Olson said the current pay package, which includes a tax-free portion and payments for committee work is too complex for anyone to grasp.
“It is too confusing, let’s be honest we have a premier who promises open and transparent government and yet the way they pay their MLAs is a total mystery to the average person.”
Olson said his party supports a clear, easy to understand package that is completely taxable, rewards MLAs appropriately for their work.
He said they also support a reduction in the transition allowance MLAs receive.
The Gazette was not able to speak with recently announced Liberal candidate Gino Akbari, before press time.
