I would gladly pay them each a million dollars per year if it meant we got a House full of outstanding MPs. These are the people running our country, FFS. Complaining about MP pay is incredibly shortsighted. What we need to focus on is removing barriers to running for Parliament so that we can get better candidates that better represent Canadians.
Join a party and choose someone better to run for MP, work to get that person to get elected.
Now you aren’t going to have a say in who represents other communities (they decide for themselves), but you most definitely can have more of a say in who represents yours. But complaining on the internet won’t accomplish this, you will need to put in some effort.
I am member of a party and I personally know several candidates. That’s how I know how high the barriers are. As @psvrh@lemmy.ca said in another comment here, the system is set up in a way that makes it very difficult for anyone other than people who are effectively “retired”, whatever their age. And then we have the gall to complain that most politicians are out of touch with the average Canadian? Of course they are! It’s nearly impossible for the average person to run, let alone coordinate the requirements of the job if they manage to win. That’s how we end up with weirdo oligarchs like JT and PP who are completely divorced from your or my reality — they’re the only ones who are able to make it through the system as it’s currently set up. Harping about their salary is irrelevant because they don’t need it. They could be paid $0 and they would still want the job because all they care about is power and fame. Low-ish salaries only hurt the “middle-class” candidates — the accountants, professors, small business owners, etc.
If you can’t influence these people how would you go about influencing people to vote for you?
Seems like you might be projecting a little bit here. You want it to be you that has the fame and the power instead of them. You’ve indicated how you’re incapable of influencing others, and you only think in terms of power and notoriety. You equate democracy to an oligarchy. Why would I want to support your candidacy over the candidacy of someone else?
You’re so laughably off-base with this comment that I will no longer waste my time here. I’m not sure why you pulled a bunch of random insults and assumptions out of your ass rather than engage constructively.
I’m sorry but I won’t be supporting your candidacy to represent my riding. You’re just lacking in the ability to connect with people.
Maybe if you work on your people skills you’ll have a better chance next time.
Did you know that almost every MP/MPP/MLA, and certainly every Conservative MP/MPP/MLA, is already independently wealthy and doesn’t really care about their salary?
Bitching about MP salaries is a big red herring that just further gatekeeps representative government by ensuring that only people who are already wealthy will run.
I mean, it’s basically impossible for young and/or poor people to run for office today, since you need both time and money, which no one who isn’t independently wealthy, has. Take time off work and go into debt in order to run for office? Hahaha fuck no. This tempest-in-a-teapot just makes it worse.
It definitely is a dumb emotional issue in the grand scheme of things, but I feel like I could get by on $194K per year if I were elected MP without being independently wealthy.
I feel like to get competent people you have to pay something like they’d get in the wild. This is not me saying I think they’re competent though.
Yeah this is a much better point. In theory you want people that are their top of their field to be in these positions.
1 in 5 canadians are dum dums
I’m not Canadian and I don’t know the details of the situation, so excuse me if I’m wrong on this, but I think MP pay is a complex issue. It’s easy to say “they get paid way more than the average person, of course they don’t need a pay rise” but I think it’s important to find a balance between that and paying enough that becoming an MP is an appealing option for intelligent, driven people. If they have a choice between an median salary as an MP and 15x the pay in the private sector, the most brilliant people are going to be drawn towards the private sector purely for financial reasons.
It’s also important that they’re given enough financial security that there’s no risk of their finances being used as leverage against them. Some politicians will always just be corrupt and open to bribery or “lobbying”, of course, but you don’t want politicians that don’t have their own money from other sources being put in compromised positions because of their finances. And you don’t want politicians looking for other sources of income rather than focusing on their primary job.
Like I said, I don’t know the details. Maybe Canada has already found a good balance - where it’s already appealing to the best and brightest, and where their no risk of financial issues for MPs - and MP pay rises would be unnecessary. I just thought it was worth mentioning the fact that there can be some nuance to the situation!
It’s a complex issue. I dont think there’s enough money in the world to prevent someone from being bribed since literal billionaires still desire more money. I also don’t know if knowledgable individuals would become a politician even if it paid more than the private sector. An expert in the private sector is only criticized by other experts. When an expert becomes a politician their main critics are idiots who think they know better.
I truly think that anyone who wants to be a politician is unfit for the job. I’ve heard a unique idea of a “lottocracy” where government positions work like jury duty. Everyone has to serve in government for a short time once in a while. It sounds crazy but so does letting a bunch of corrupt sociopaths make the rules.
The old George Carlin quote applies. Think of how dumb the average person is, and then think about how half of the people are dumber than that.
Besides that one of the roles of a politician is they need to be able to clearly explain an issue to the public. Most people won’t be able to do this.
Besides our system requires that ever MP win the majority of the votes in a community. If a community is choosing a sociopath to represent them, there isn’t going to be any better way to prevent crazies from getting power. Mostly the problem is people thinking posting complaints on the internet will solve issues rather than getting involved at the community level.
Our system is designed around people working at the community level, if people were willing to put more effort into their community they would have more influence over politics. But the internet makes people feel like they shouldn’t do that so they complain on the internet instead and then complain about their internet complaints aren’t accomplishing anything.
Besides that one of the roles of a politician is they need to be able to clearly explain an issue to the public.
yeah they don’t do that. Just turn on C-span and listen for a bit.
Just watch watch Jordan Klepper’s interviews with MAGAs for a bit.
Nah, I’ve had my fill of retards blathering listening to Freeland and Trudeau.
I think you’ve lost the thread here.
Comments from people who have never had real exposure to the political system are useful as tits on a fish.
Being an MP or MLA is an absolute grind. Even more so now with myriad anonymous threats being levied at not only you but your family. They have some reimbursements, but inevitably end up spending some of that pay on expenses.And for the most part, they aren’t rich.
Here is the list from Manitoba MPs:
Niki Ashton NDP university lecturer
James Bezan CPC Rancher, crop adjuster
Ben Carr Lib Teacher, consultant
Raquel Dancho CPC –
Terry Duguid Lib Non-profit organizer
Ted Falk CPC Construction company owner
Leah Gazan NDP Lecturer
Kevin Lamoureaux Lib ATC assistant & Military
Branden Leslie CPC –
Larry Maguire CPC Farmer, Lobbyist
Dan Mazier CPC Pres Keystone Agricultural Producers
Marty Morantz CPC Lawyer
Dan Vandal Lib Middleweight Boxer, Social workerBezan (CPC), Falk (CPC), Maguire (CPC), Mazier (CPC) and Morantz (CPC) are pretty well off. The rest are doing okay, but hardly rich.
Dancho (CPC) and Leslie (CPC) went from school right into politics.A former MP that I new pretty well was a teacher and served on a small city council, an unpaid position in those days, before getting into federal, and then provincial politics. He was the hardest working person I knew.
He got calls at all hours as a federal MP regarding garbage pickup and street plowing FFS. Some constituents were completely clueless as to what level of government does what. He’d listen and try to direct them to the right people, and the only thing he got in return was abuse.
