Selinger gov’t keeps digging deeper hole

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/06/2012 (5255 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In the Selinger government’s continuing slide into the unenviable pit of entitlement and greed, comes word that a retired NDP MLA has quietly retained her duties as the province’s special envoy for military affairs.

In the shadow of Ticketgate — which saw cabinet ministers and senior staff accepting free Winnipeg Jets NHL tickets from Crown corporations and large companies — we have former MLA for St. James, Bonnie Korzeniowski, keeping her old constituency office turned into a permanent office with an annual budget of $190,000.

That’s a salary of $85,000 a year, plus expenses of $105,000, to do a job she had been doing for free as part of her legislative responsibilities.

Elected first in 1999, former social worker Korzeniowski was appointed military envoy in February 2008 when a backbencher in Selinger’s government and has kept the post — despite not seeking re-election in the Oct. 4, 2011 provincial election.

The NDP government made no formal announcement Korzeniowski would keep the job, the Winnipeg Free Press reported, although Premier Greg Selinger reintroduced Korzeniowski as the provincial envoy at an event for the military last November.

She has also toured the province in her role as special envoy for military affairs, including a recent stop at the Brandon Armoury for a dinner and fundraiser.

This is a case of political payback, pure and simple. And one of the most blatant examples at that.

Critics say there’s no reason why a sitting NDP MLA could not have inherited Korzeniowski’s duties when she stepped out of political life. And we agree.

In fact, as the Free Press noted, the Canadian Forces Liaison Council — an arm of the Armed Forces to support the participation in the reserves — said in its recent annual report it encourages the appointment of a minister or an elected member to represent military interests in each province.

“It seems like the military is being used for a job for an ex-politician,” Canadian Taxpayers Federation regional director Colin Craig said recently.

Craig also said for a government pleading poverty — the province is battling a $1.1-billion deficit — it makes no sense to create a separate office when a sitting MLA can be appointed military envoy.

We agree with Craig suggestion that a sitting backbencher should have been given the job.

Korzeniowski’s term is for one year under the current arrangement and will be reviewed.

We hope that all this light being shone into this dark corner of unnecessary political patronage will have some effect on that review.

In a recent editorial decrying the “abuse of the public purse,” the Free Press noted the Department of National Defence employs 5,576 personnel in the province, including 3,154 regular force and 1,439 reserves.

That makes it the province’s largest employer and, as such, has a significant impact on the economy and social fabric.

The special envoy for military affairs position involves providing advice about military protocol, ensuring key members of the government are aware of military developments in the province and co-ordinating relationships between the government and the Canadian Forces. We agree with the Free Press that it should have remained one of the legislative responsibilities of a government MLA.

We note that with 17 Wing in Winnipeg being in St. James, Korzeniowski’s successor Deanne Crothers, would have been a logical choice.

At the end of the day, for the NDP to ignore tradition just to keep a political friend on the payroll is indefensible.