[calculoso]

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics...733696-cp.html

EDMONTON - One of the wealthiest provinces in Canada has dramatically boosted the pay packets of its premier and cabinet ministers.

The Alberta government has approved a pay hike, which will see each of the province's 23 cabinet ministers get a pay hike worth about $42,000, bringing their annual compensation to around $184,000 per year.

Premier Ed Stelmach will become among the nation's best paid premiers after approval of a 34 per cent pay hike.

That brings his total compensation package to over $213,000 per year.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/na...2-7b49f441696e

EDMONTON - Premier Ed Stelmach's salary vaulted past the $200,000-a-year mark after the Alberta leader and his 23 minister gave themselves hefty raises behind closed doors.

The pay bump revealed Thursday was approved during a cabinet meeting Tuesday.

Stelmach's paycheque rose $54,000, to $213,450 from $159,450. Ministers will make $184,000, up from $142,050.

Minister will also now be paid separately for cabinet meetings, Treasury Board and policy committees. These roles were considered part of their duties - and salary - until now.

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/b...30/ikevin.aspx

In actuality, it was an eye-popping 30% pay raise for cabinet ministers, who now will make $184,000 a year, instead of $142,000 — more than federal MPs and most provincial premiers. Premier Stelmach gets an even bigger boost to the paycheque: He’ll now make $213,450 a year, up from $159,450. Mr. Stelmach now makes more than his Ontario counterpart, Dalton McGuinty, who manages a province nearly four times as large, making Alberta’s CEO the highest paid premier in the land (Quebec’s premier makes $194,900 and everywhere else the rate is $165,000 or lower).

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Albe...19281-sun.html

The premier's office said it was necessary after the member services committee, a legislative body, ordered that Liberal Leader Kevin Taft, NDP Leader Brian Mason, and Speaker of the House Ken Kowalski should receive committee pay. It can top $35,000 per committee for members and $42,000 per year for a chairman.
.....
Stelmach's spokesman, Paul Stanway, added that the move was necessary.

"That would've left Kevin Taft making $184,000 a year and the premier making just shy of $160,000 per year," he said. "If you start paying MLAs considerably more money, to the point where they're making more than the premier, then obviously there will be a knock-on effect."

With the increase, Stelmach will make around $194,000 per year. Cabinet ministers and the Speaker will make about $184,000 per year.

Apparently, this was started after a government committee gave the Speaker, Liberal Leader, and NDP Leader huge raises. This boosted the Liberal Leader's pay so much that he was being paid more than the Premier. Instead of doing something about it, I gather Ed just gave himself and the cabinet ministers a huge raise too.

It's brutal. I can't believe that they expected to get away with this. Regardless of a person's political stripes, I don't see how anyone can stomach this (unless you're a politician who benefits from it).