The Editor,
Residents, if you have issues, please contact your local MLA. Oops, wait a minute, he/or she may have decided to run for federal office.
Don’t be fooled, people, politicians make the jump for salary purposes. If a person serving the public really does want to help the local public, provincial or civic politics are where the biggest impact occurs.
Federal politics looks at the big picture, the whole country. You are just one of 338 other ridings of 26,000 people on the small end to 132,000 on the big end who also want federal money and action.
A B.C. MLA earns a base salary of $120,878, with $10,000 to $90,000 available depending on their role. An MP earns a base of $167,400, with and additional $5,900 to $80,000 available depending on their role.
Just making the jump from provincial to federal politics adds an additional $64,522 to their income. Can you really blame them for jumping ship? An additional $62,000 in your pocket?
I would love to run for office one day and I can tell you right away that a MP’s salary should be based on the average income of that riding. If the riding does well and incomes increase, the MP gets a pay raise. If not they don’t.
The common argument MPs use to defend their huge pays is “we need to attract the best and brightest.” My argument against that is if you love your country, you shouldn’t need to be paid so well. If you love your country, you should be working for the common good. Soldiers don’t get nearly the pay or benefits and they risk their lives.
Grant Crossley,
Port Coquitlam
