Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Monday, September 09, 2013

Eva Aariak's Salary: Nunavut Premier Among Best-Paid In Canada

Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak announced Thursday she will not seek a second term, but there are close to 200,000 reasons why she may consider changing her mind.

It may surprise some to learn that the premier of Nunavut, which has a population of roughly 32,000, earns $193,499, according to figures from the recent "Who Earns What" issue of Maclean’s magazine.

Aariak is actually the fourth highest-paid premier in Canada, topping leaders of several bigger provinces (by population) like British Columbia, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. Alberta Premier Alison Redford tops the list with a salary of $211,000, followed by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne at $209,272 and Nova Scotia's Darrell Dexter at $196,103.

Of course, the cost of living is much, much higher in Canada's North. Food prices are sky-high and other manufactured goods like clothing cost considerably more because they must be shipped thousands of kilometres by plane or ship.

Aariak, just the territory's second leader since its founding in 1999, says she will run in the territorial election on Oct. 28, but won't allow her name to stand for premier. Under Nunavut's unique consensus form of government, elected members of the legislature meet to choose their leader by secret ballot.

The 58-year-old representative for Iqaluit East became premier in 2008 after defeating Paul Okalik, but now thinks five years in the top job is enough, telling CBC North Radio it was "somebody else's turn."

"It's a big commitment," she said. "I want people out there who are thinking about running as premier to have enough time."

According to Northern News Services Online, members of Nunavut's legislative assembly earn a base salary of $90,396, with additional pay for sitting in cabinet or on committees.

That’s actually more than the $87,631 a year that Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski earns.

Aariak's administration has seen major policy initiatives around education and health, including a territorial policy on suicide prevention, a major problem in Nunavut.

Her government has also extracted a promise from Prime Minister Stephen Harper to open negotiations on transferring control over Crown lands and resources to the territory.

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.ca
Author: The Huffington Post Canada 

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