Remember the MLA expense scandal? I bet that got your attention.
The House of Assembly Management Commission was established by the legislature to publicly handle caucus and MLA funding issues in the wake of the Auditor General's report on MLA expenses. One recommendation all parties supported in a vote months ago was to move to fiscal year accounting and away from calendar year accounting. It simply made sense to make all government budgets match the Department of Finance's own budget year.
It surprised me then that on Tuesday the government moved a motion to exempt caucus office funding from the change until April 1, 2012 and allow a 15 month year for caucus offices from January 1, 2011 until March 31, 2012.
Who cares right? Well it wouldn't have mattered except that caucus offices gain and lose funding at the start of each year for any MLA they gain or lose (a loss includes members going to cabinet as caucus offices are not funded for party leaders, the speaker, or cabinet members because they are supported from other budgets).
The motion was made and passed by the committee just hours before the NDP expanded the cabinet. With two new cabinet members from the government benches the NDP stood to lose about $90,000 on April 1 without this change. The Tories stood to lose roughly $45,000 for Karen Casey's departure and potentially another $45,000 if a federal election is called and Cecil Clake departs prior to March 31. Total cost to taxpayers? Up to $180,000.
I realize $180,000 is not going to solve the province's fiscal crisis. It's not going to cover the $196 million in education cuts that have been floated by the NDP. But it does mean something. There was little rationale for this change since every other expense was switching to the fiscal year and there had been a lot of notice.
I spoke against it at the time and Liberals did not vote in favour of the change.
Today, Liberal leader Stephen McNeil announced that the Liberal caucus wouldn't accept money that would have come with the arrival of Karen Casey for the transition period in the regulations created by the NDP/PC committee vote. Our leader just didn't think it was right for taxpayers to pay twice for one MLA - just as they would have been doing for the two NDP members going to cabinet and with the Tories planning to keep money for an MLA they don't have.
Both the NDP's Deputy Premier Frank Corbett and PC House Leader Chris d'Entrement gave spirited defenses of keeping the money at Tuesday's committee meeting, even after I pointed out they'd had lots of notice for the change in fiscal year.
As the clock ticked today, it appears the feelings of both Corbett and d'Entrement changed. I'm happy that late today both the NDP and PC caucus offices have decided to follow the Liberal lead (at least in part). Both announced they will not accept the money for the period April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012 - though they still appear happy to keep the money from now until March 31, 2011. Money which Liberals also refused to accept.
