I don’t generally take issue with politicians giving themselves pay raises – it’s tough work and we need to encourage the best and brightest to run.

And while a million dollars is a small price to pay for ditching Ed Stelmach, this strikes me as a bit excessive:

Alberta’s premier and other senior elected officials will receive more than $1 million in severance pay when they retire, a taxpayers group said yesterday.

Just days after Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach approved a hefty pay hike for himself and his 23 cabinet members, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation said the raises aren’t the end of the big bucks some are set to receive.

“It’s significant dollars,” said Scott Hennig, Alberta federation director.

“The severance breaking seven digits – it’s certainly the most generous severance in all of Canada.”

Speaker Ken Kowalski is expected to receive severance totalling more than $1.3 million if he retires in the next four years, according to the federation.

The jump in severance pay comes after Stelmach gave himself a $54,000 salary increase, for an annual salary of $213,000, making him the highest paid premier in Canada.