A Government Commission I would like to see.
The Alberta government has, in the past, created blue-ribbon commissions to review oil and gas royalties.
Why not convene a blue-ribbon commission review of Civil Service payment and benefit rates?
The focus of a royalty review is the benefits to the oil and gas industry, often compared to other regimes in a comparative analysis. The focus of a study of Civil Service payment and benefit rates would highlight pay, benefits, and pensions of all government workers. And it should, like a royalty review, be framed as a comparative analysis, contrasted to the private sector and other public jurisdictions.
These reviews are two sides of the same coin. In each case, we are seeking a fair and balanced answer to wealth takings by groups of stakeholders. In each case, the taxpayer needs defence. In each case, public property and purse are radically affected; these are big numbers.
So let us have it – a blue-ribbon commission, on the takings of public servants.