Premier defends asking MLAS to pay

Premier Alison Redford on Wednesday defended the decision to collect $2,700 from each Progressive Conservative MLA to repay the $194,000 earned by Tory members of the infamous no-meet committee.

In August, Redford’s office announced that every PCMLA who sat on the committee had repaid or made plans to repay the money, but did not reveal that those committee members would be reimbursed by caucus colleagues.

Redford rebuffed questions about why the governing party kept those details quiet.

“It wasn’t disclosed or not disclosed,” Redford said. “We made a decision as a caucus during the election to take the approach that we did, to be committed to paying all of that back, and as a caucus we decided to do it.”

Redford said the caucus understood that MLAs on the committee received funds through the existing MLA pay process, and that she is “pleased that we’ve been able to completely pay back every single dollar and that we did that together jointly.

“I’m really proud of the team for doing it,” Redford said. “I think it does reflect all of our values and I think I’m satisfied with the outcome.”

The “nomeet” committee controversy started in January after it was revealed that 21 MLAs on the all-party committee were paid at least $1,000 a month, even though the committee hadn’t met since 2008.

MLAs from other parties pledged to pay back the money but Redford called the repayments a political “stunt.” The move angered Albertans and the Tories plunged in the preelection polls.

On March 29, days into the spring provincial election campaign, Redford ordered Tory MLAs to pay back “every penny.”

In late August, Redford’s communication staff made available letters that proved the Tory committee members had paid or arranged to pay back the money.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that those MLAs were reimbursed by their caucus colleagues, all 61 of whom were asked to contribute $2,700 to the caucus social fund for that purpose.

Wildrose critic Bruce McAllister noted that nine Tory MLAs who sat on the committee will keep more than $162,000 they received “for doing nothing.

“This must be what passes for accountability in the PC caucus — a behind-closeddoors shell game that absolves these members of their obligation to return to taxpayers money they did not earn,” McAllister said in a statement.

“We are calling on these members to personally accept responsibility for their actions, return the money they personally received, and stop relying on others to bail them out.”

The decision to collect the money was made at a Tory caucus meeting at the suggestion of the party whip.

The move was an attempt to address lingering caucus tensions surrounding the reimbursements, which required some MLAs to come up with as much as $32,000 to fulfil Redford’s election promise, while others paid nothing.

Those who received the money argued in part that they did not choose to sit on the committee — they were all appointed — and that they were unwitting victims of an MLA compensation system that was too convoluted for regular Albertans to understand.

I’m really proud of the team for doing it. PREMIER ALISON REDFORD