SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A recommendation that would further limit the ability of former ministers to obtain work from the GNWT is a good idea, but it shouldn't prevent them from taking government jobs as tradespeople, say some Yellowknife MLAs.

On May 11, the 2010 Review of Members' Compensation and Benefits was tabled in the legislative assembly. The review, a statutory requirement of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, is conducted during the life of every assembly.

Commissioners made a total of 19 recommendations, including four pertaining to the terms under which a former minister or speaker can obtain work with the territorial government following their terms.

Current legislation prevents a former minister from accepting employment with a department he or she previously oversaw, but one new recommendation, if legislated, would bar a minister from a getting a job from any government department for one year.

Yellowknife MLAs Bob Bromley and Glen Abernethy, said they think the recommendation, as worded, goes too far.

"If they wanted to go back and be a mechanic again, these recommendations limit your ability to do that and that seems unreasonable," said Abernethy, MLA for Great Slave.

Another recommendation would forbid former ministers from receiving sole source-contracts for up to two years after they leave office.

Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley, who said he supports the latter recommendation, has been a vocal critic of the GNWT and its recent awarding of sole-source contracts to John Todd, a former finance minister, and Brendan Bell, former minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

"We've grown to the point where we need more accountability and objectivity to recognize and avoid conflicts that perhaps could not have been avoided in the past, to some degree," said Bromley.

Bromley said he took issue with another recommendation that former MLAs no longer receive a transition allowance as soon as they begin collecting a pension for their service.

Each member receives an annual salary of $94,331, not counting additional bonuses for the speaker, premier and other additional positions. Using that figure, a member who serves only one term would receive a transition allowance totalling $7,860.

"If a person serves one term and then retires, the pension's going to be quite small relative to the transitional allowance," he said.

MLAs will undertake an official review of all recommendations during a retreat in August before engaging in debate when the assembly reconvenes in October.