Canada PoliticsB.C. Premier Christy Clark eligible for severance pay
Now, this is a little wacky.
Christy Clark's Liberals won the election last month but Clark didn't win a seat in the legislature. So, as leader of the Liberal Party, Clark is Premier of the province earning a just over $90,000/year but not earning an MLA salary.
She's also been receiving a little something extra, as explained by the Victoria Times Columnist.
Though Clark lost her Vancouver-Point Grey seat in the May 14 election, taxpayers continued to pay her MLA salary out of the allowance, which was designed to help ex-politicians while they find new jobs.
Clark was automatically signed up to receive the money, which continues the $101,859 base salary for up to 15 months for defeated or retiring MLAs.
After the newspaper contacted the premier's office about the allowance, they said that Clark would pay back the money she had already received — about $5,876.
[ Related: Clark appoints chief of staff, deputy minister ]
As recently explained by CTV News, "retiring or defeated MLAs can earn their regular MLA salary – $102,000 per year – for anywhere from four to 15 months after leaving office until they find work." They can also claim a $9,000 "training allowance."
And that's on top of their gold-plated pensions of which taxpayers chip in $4 for every $1 MLAs contribute.
"It’s one of the most lucrative kinds of pensions packages you can find, and certainly puts them heads and shoulders above the average public," the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation Jordan Bateman told CTV.
"I was astonished at just how much money it is."
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