The attorney general giveth and the premier taketh away. And so she should. Let鈥檚 hope her withdrawal of a contract with a former MLA signals the beginning of a trend. The tradition of handing out government posts to former MLAs and political cronies is an old one, but like many things, the older it gets, the worse it smells.
On Tuesday, Attorney General Suzanne Anton announced that former MLA John Les would co-chair a public consultation on earthquake preparedness across the province at a cost of up to $140,000. He would share duties with Henry Renteria, the former director of California鈥檚 Office of Emergency Services, who would receive a salary of $100,000.
The announcement brought instant criticism, with New Democrat critic Shane Simpson demanding the appointment be withdrawn, calling the idea that Les had experience in earthquake preparedness a 鈥渄ubious notion.鈥�
Les, who retired from provincial politics before the 2013 election after serving three terms as MLA for Chilliwack-Sumas, had previously been appointed to chair the Farm Industry Review Board at an annual salary of $60,000. Simpson said the two jobs added up 鈥渢o $200,000 of pork-barrel money.鈥�
On Wednesday, NDP Leader Adrian Dix called Les鈥檚 contract a 鈥渨asteful, extra, superfluous, pork-barrelling, double-dipping patronage appointment鈥� and was surprised by Premier Christy Clark鈥檚 response: The appointment did not conform to government spending restrictions and it had been withdrawn.
Clark said mistakes are sometimes made in a big operation like government and Anton concurred, saying she should not have approved a contract with such a high price.
But the cost, while important, is not the main issue. Why was Les chosen in the first place? On Tuesday, Anton defended Les as capable and experienced, but couldn鈥檛 make the case that he was the best person for the job. When grilled about whether the job was posted or if other candidates were sought and interviewed, her answers begged the question. That, in itself, is a clear answer.
And do we need a consultation on earthquake preparedness? Collecting and co-ordinating information on earthquake preparedness falls under the purview of Emergency Management sa国际传媒, which is part of the Ministry of the Attorney General. The earthquake risk to sa国际传媒 is nothing new. It鈥檚 been studied for years. Most public buildings have been assessed as to their earthquake readiness. Why do we need another layer of bureaucracy when we have a government department to do that work?
Assuming that someone needs to examine and analyze preparedness across the province, Renteria seems a good choice. He has hands-on experience with two California earthquakes and observed recovery efforts in Japan following the 1995 Kobe earthquake. He brings technical expertise to the process, which is much more valuable than political connections.
There鈥檚 nothing inherently wrong with an experienced legislator continuing to serve the public, such as Ida Chong being appointed to the University of Victoria board of governors. She was born and raised in Victoria, served her constituency diligently for 17 years and brings a wealth of experience to the board. It鈥檚 a good fit.
But too many provincial government appointments are flavoured with cronyism. The sa国际传媒 Liberals have already been criticized for giving jobs and appointments to 21 failed candidates, former MLAs and others with party connections.
Clark was right to declare Les鈥檚 appointment too rich for frugal times and to withdraw the offer. She should have gone further, though, and dispelled the odour of patronage by pledging that future appointments will be made on merit alone, and not on political connections.
