January 10th, 2025

Alberta MLAs getting a raise


By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on January 10, 2025.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Members of the Alberta Legislature will be getting pay raises and a transition allowance to help them adjust to life after they leave public office.

The provincial government on Thursday announced that, effective April 1, MLAs will have their pay adjusted at the same rate as the provincial public service.

On that date, a transition allowance also comes into effect as well as readjustment for caucus budgets to account for all MLAs.

The changes “will update compensation frameworks and provide MLA with the support needed to serve their constituents,” said the province in a release.

The government says Alberta is the only province where MLAs aren’t eligible to receive a pension. Since 1993 they’ve been able to receive an RRSP contribution that is partially matched and while that won’t change when an eligible MLA leaves office, the person will be entitled to a transition allowance equivalent to one month per year of service to a maximum of six months.

Former MLAS who receive a transition allowance will get payments monthly.

The province says the transition allowance acknowledges that MLAs don’t qualify for Employment Insurance benefits and will helpt them to transition back to the private sector. The allowance will also be aligned with the Conflict of Interest Act that prevents ministers from working for several months after leaving office.

The NDP responded to the announcement by saying the UCP government is putting its own interests ahead of other Albertans.

“At a time when Albertans are facing a housing crisis, inflated grocery prices, hiked-up utilities costs and sky rocketing insurance premiums the UCP voted to give themselves a raise and their caucus budget a massive increase,” said Alberta NDP Leader of the Opposition Christina Gray in a statement Thursday afternoon.

“This is unconscionable and outrageously inappropriate,” Gray said, calling the transition allowance “a golden parachute” for departing MLAs.

The raises and allowance were approved by the Standing Committee on Members Services. All NDP members on the committee voted against both.

Chief Government Whip Shane Getson said in an interview with The Herald Thursday that Alberta is an outlier when it comes to transition allowances. British Columbia., for example, has a 15-month allowance while other provinces offer 12 month allowances, he said.

And since 2009, MLA salaries have been reduced by a total of 10 percent with five percent cuts being made in each of two terms.

“There used to be kind of a transition allowance and that was pulled off the table a few years ago,” said Getson, who was first elected in 2019 as MLA for Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland. “The other things folks aren’t necessarily cognizant of is depending upon your position in the government you’re actually precluded from doing any work.”

When a third party report came back to the government and showed Alberta was an outlier in Canada, “being fiscal conservatives” the UCP split the difference between the amounts offered by other provinces, said Getson.

“Let’s give something reasonable to allow folks to find work, transition to something else” and allow ministers the opportunity to find work so they didn’t have to “bust the piggybank open on the table to make ends meet,” said Getson on the government’s decision.

The allowance is capped at six months, said the MLA.

The payout will be done monthly – “it’s literally that wage they had before at the MLA base salary rate. It’s not the minister rate, it’s at the lowest rate you could give somebody as an MLA,” Getson added.

With the allowance, should something unfortunate happen to a departing MLA, that person’s family will now at least get something to help cover expenses, he noted.

The increase in compensation comes after MLAs cut their pay by five percent in 2016 and again in 2019.

The government felt it needed to balance the budget first and it has done that three times, Getson said.

“So you’re really looking at the wage from 2009 until now,” he said.

“We’ve been very fair with everybody and we don’t get the same rates as the feds do as well. So when you look at all those considerations I think most people get it,” added Getson.

“For me it’s frustrating when the NDP wants to make political games of this.”

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