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Originally Posted by CN10
That these payments even existed in the first place is outrageous. In the private sector, you don't get a massive bonus for quitting your job or moving on to a new opportunity someplace else.
As for MLA's losing their job by failing to get re-elected I don't see anything wrong with politicians being treated the same as every other working citizen: receive a reasonable severance package and the eligibility to apply for EI.
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The argument is that it's already difficult to get qualified people to run for office. And by qualified, what's usually meant is professionals with experience managing budgets and large organizations. How do you get seasoned lawyers, or executives in the private sector, or the owners of successful businesses, to quit their jobs, move to Edmonton, and become MLAs? They're quitting a good job already to make less money. Disrupting their lives and their careers.
The answer has been pensions and transition allowances. And yes, they got out of hand (as did private compensation in this province, if we're being honest). But I don't know that we should do away with them altogether.
The other approach is that we should expect just average Albertans to run for office. Looking at the provincial NDPs, and their difficulty in filling cabinet positions with qualified candidates, I'm not sure that's a persuasive argument.