MARVELLING OVER MAR

It’s not likely that much can be done about the $ 140,000 that Gary Mar will receive when his stint as Alberta’s Asian envoy ends June 30, but mercifully, let it be the last exorbitant payout to a political insider using taxpayer money.

“I don’t think it’s valid, I don’t think it’s fair. I don’t think it’s responsible to set up these contracts with that kind of severance,” said Liberal Leader David Swann.

The boondoggle stretches back to 2011, when Mar lost the leadership race of the provincial Tories to Alison Redford. She appointed Mar to the plum position soon after the convention at a salary of $ 264,000, plus other benefits. A lawyer, Mar was savvy enough to secure a clause in his contract that pays him 26 weeks salary if his term isn’t extended, as Jim Prentice had already decided before his party lost the May 5 election.

“I negotiated that because of the restrictions on what I can and cannot do,” Mar, who once received a $ 478,499 MLA transition allowance, told the Herald’s James Wood in an interview from Hong Kong this week.

“The restrictions are not insignificant, and so that is a reflection of the cooling- off period.”

Under regulations in place when he signed his contract, Mar would be unable for six months to make representations to the government, take a position with a company that he has had significant official dealings with, or act on a commercial basis with a company he had dealings with.

The cooling- off rules exist for good reason and ensure that departing public servants don’t find themselves in a conflict of interest. In fact, the cooling- off period has been increased to 12 month since Mar negotiated his contract.

Frankly, if Mar felt the terms were too onerous, he could have given the lucrative gig a miss. There are, after all, plenty of ways of earning an income without relying on political ties and other connections that have been cultivated while on the public payroll. The great majority of Albertans are proof of that, notwithstanding Mar’s contributions.

Premier Rachel Notley had proposed a new policy limiting senior civil servants to severance equivalent to one month’s salary per year of service when she was in opposition. Notley should follow through and put a stop to the largesse now that she controls the government. She should also accept Wildrose Leader Brian Jean’s suggestion that such positions be staffed by seasoned civil servants and not be used as patronage appointments.

Those two measures alone would go a long way to putting a stop to the cronyism and unwise use of Albertans’ tax dollars.