Review of MLA pensions possible: premier
Posted Sep 17, 2010 05:29:05 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The province’s political leaders are now taking stands on the MLA pension plans.
The retirement scheme is coming under fire thanks to a scathing review of the costs by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, which suggests taxpayers contribute $22 – including interest – for every $1 put in by an MLAa.
Now Premier Darrell Dexter says he’s open to reviewing the plan as part of balancing the province’s books over the next few years.
But Dexter says he needs more informatino before he can actually order the review.
“We don’t even have the underlying information on the plans that would say that they are good, bad or indifferent,” he said. “But what I am saying is that I’m certainly not taking anything off the table with respect to reviews.”
If and when a review happens, Dexter says he’d like to see it done by some sort of independent panel.
“We’re going to look at what the right process would be, and that’s not something that you can snap your fingers and make a decision about,” he said.
On the other side of the house, Liberal leader Stephen McNeil says it should be the house management committee — an all-party group of MLAs — who examines the pension plan.
Interim PC leader Jamie Baillie says the review should go to a citizens’ panel.
