Senate | Fagstein

Yeah, his head really is that big

Part of me still can’t quite believe it. Sure, journalists have been appointed to meaningless ceremonial posts by politicians before, but to poach English Canada’s biggest name in political journalism (well, political TV journalism anyway) and just make him a politician (from P.E.I.?) seems strange.

Sure, technically there’s nothing wrong with a journalist becoming a politician. It’s the other way around that’s a problem (except on RDI). But it just feels wrong.

For what it’s worth, the National Post explores the ethical issues in play here. There are questions about how Mike Duffy may have acted toward the Conservatives while mulling this appointment, even if he says he’s not a partisan.

I don’t think Duffy’s journalism was biased, and will probably for the most part stand the test of time. But I still think it was a mistake to accept a senate appointment. Just as it was for Jim Munson or Joan Fraser or any of the other journalists who went to the senate thinking it would raise their profile and whose names have been forgotten by average Canadians.

Then again, this Margaret Wente column alone almost makes the appointment worth it. Not to mention the fact that there’s so little news otherwise this time of year.

Two Liberal senators have had their pay docked for not showing up to work.

I mention this because of how the lead paragraph of the story is written:

Two Liberal senators have been fined for spotty attendance in the upper chamber during the last session of Parliament.

Fined. It implies punishment. When politicians or companies are fined, it’s supposed to be a big deal. To act as a deterrent, it’s supposed to result in a net negative for them. The whole point of fining is to make it less profitable for people to break the rules.

But let’s do a quick check of the math:

Annual salary: $122,700
Total meetings in the session: 113
Salary per meeting: $1,085.84
Fine, per sitting after 21 absences: $250

So let me get this straight: You get 21 freebies (not including sickness or “public business”), and after that you get fined $250 per sitting you miss, which is about a quarter of what you make for that sitting.

Quebec businessman Paul Massicotte was fined $2,750, or 2% of his salary, for missing 32 of 113 sittings, or 28%, without a valid excuse. Had he not showed up to work for a single day this past session, he would still have earned $100,000 or about 80% of his salary.

That doesn’t sound like much of a “fine” to me. No wonder these people have no motivation to show up.

Fagstein

Tag Archives: Senate

Senator Duffy?

For senators, working is optional