I would gladly pay them each a million dollars per year if it meant we got a House full of outstanding MPs. These are the people running our country, FFS. Complaining about MP pay is incredibly shortsighted. What we need to focus on is removing barriers to running for Parliament so that we can get better candidates that better represent Canadians.
Complaining about MP pay is incredibly shortsighted.
I mean according to this article they are making at least 200k/year. I'd posit we are in the land of diminishing returns at that point.
No, we really aren't. Not only do many highly qualified people make more than that, but the job also requires you to put your career (and pretty much your whole life and family) on hold. 200k is not that much when looked at more rationally (or comparing it to private sector jobs with similar requirements and high pressure) but we live in a land of crabs in a bucket eager to pull others down to the lowest level possible.
Won't get you far in Vancouver...
There's no point in having incredibly qualified MPs if they're all whipped on every vote. And that's the way Canadian politics works - an MP is just a glorified seat filler.
Get us an electoral system that breaks up the majority rule and allows MPs to actually represent their constituents, and I'll fully support a gratuitous salary.
For now, I think paying the median wage in Canada would serve just fine to try to motivate these mushrooms to improve the working conditions of the 99%.
Did you know that almost every MP/MPP/MLA, and certainly every Conservative MP/MPP/MLA, is already independently wealthy and doesn't really care about their salary?
Bitching about MP salaries is a big red herring that just further gatekeeps representative government by ensuring that only people who are already wealthy will run.
I mean, it's basically impossible for young and/or poor people to run for office today, since you need both time and money, which no one who isn't independently wealthy, has. Take time off work and go into debt in order to run for office? Hahaha fuck no. This tempest-in-a-teapot just makes it worse.
Then we should stop referring to it as a democracy because clearly it functions as a plutocracy, a government of the wealthy and a system that works on wealth and power instead of the will of the people.
I don't really see the logic here. They're already wealthy so who cares if they get a raise? All the more reason they don't need one, it's so out of touch with the rest of the country.
Well if the Canadian Taxpayers Federation says it, it must be true.
1 in 5 canadians are dum dums
I'm not Canadian and I don't know the details of the situation, so excuse me if I'm wrong on this, but I think MP pay is a complex issue. It's easy to say "they get paid way more than the average person, of course they don't need a pay rise" but I think it's important to find a balance between that and paying enough that becoming an MP is an appealing option for intelligent, driven people. If they have a choice between an median salary as an MP and 15x the pay in the private sector, the most brilliant people are going to be drawn towards the private sector purely for financial reasons.
It's also important that they're given enough financial security that there's no risk of their finances being used as leverage against them. Some politicians will always just be corrupt and open to bribery or "lobbying", of course, but you don't want politicians that don't have their own money from other sources being put in compromised positions because of their finances. And you don't want politicians looking for other sources of income rather than focusing on their primary job.
Like I said, I don't know the details. Maybe Canada has already found a good balance - where it's already appealing to the best and brightest, and where their no risk of financial issues for MPs - and MP pay rises would be unnecessary. I just thought it was worth mentioning the fact that there can be some nuance to the situation!
It's a complex issue. I dont think there's enough money in the world to prevent someone from being bribed since literal billionaires still desire more money. I also don't know if knowledgable individuals would become a politician even if it paid more than the private sector. An expert in the private sector is only criticized by other experts. When an expert becomes a politician their main critics are idiots who think they know better.
I truly think that anyone who wants to be a politician is unfit for the job. I've heard a unique idea of a "lottocracy" where government positions work like jury duty. Everyone has to serve in government for a short time once in a while. It sounds crazy but so does letting a bunch of corrupt sociopaths make the rules.
That's a pretty optimistic number.
The Leger poll asked Canadians if they support or oppose the upcoming MP pay raise. Results of the poll show (totals may be slightly off due to rounding):
62 per cent strongly oppose 18 per cent somewhat oppose 12 per cent somewhat support 2 per cent strongly support 7 per cent don’t know
Comments from people who have never had real exposure to the political system are useful as tits on a fish.
Being an MP or MLA is an absolute grind. Even more so now with myriad anonymous threats being levied at not only you but your family. They have some reimbursements, but inevitably end up spending some of that pay on expenses.And for the most part, they aren't rich.
Here is the list from Manitoba MPs:
Niki Ashton NDP university lecturer
James Bezan CPC Rancher, crop adjuster
Ben Carr Lib Teacher, consultant
Raquel Dancho CPC --
Terry Duguid Lib Non-profit organizer
Ted Falk CPC Construction company owner
Leah Gazan NDP Lecturer
Kevin Lamoureaux Lib ATC assistant & Military
Branden Leslie CPC --
Larry Maguire CPC Farmer, Lobbyist
Dan Mazier CPC Pres Keystone Agricultural Producers
Marty Morantz CPC Lawyer
Dan Vandal Lib Middleweight Boxer, Social workerBezan (CPC), Falk (CPC), Maguire (CPC), Mazier (CPC) and Morantz (CPC) are pretty well off. The rest are doing okay, but hardly rich.
Dancho (CPC) and Leslie (CPC) went from school right into politics.A former MP that I new pretty well was a teacher and served on a small city council, an unpaid position in those days, before getting into federal, and then provincial politics. He was the hardest working person I knew.
He got calls at all hours as a federal MP regarding garbage pickup and street plowing FFS. Some constituents were completely clueless as to what level of government does what. He'd listen and try to direct them to the right people, and the only thing he got in return was abuse.
I endorse a wage decrease across the board till the average Canadian is no longer working cheque to cheque
The PM should make more than the people who run crown corporations. 80 of Canadians are wrong.
