Think about the future

Bill 8:

1. Paragraph 2(1)(g) of the Members of the House of Assembly Retiring Allowances Act is repealed and the following substituted:

(g) "MHA salary" means

(i) for members elected for the first time to the 46th General Assembly, the salary authorized by the legislature to be paid to an MHA and the amount that the Minister of Finance may prescribe in a directive under this Act, and

(ii) for members elected before the 46th General Assembly,

(A) the salary authorized by the Legislature to be paid to an MHA up to June 30, 2007,

(B) 81.2% of the salary authorized by the Legislature to be paid to an MHA from July 1, 2007; and

(C) an amount that the Minister of Finance may prescribe in a directive under this Act;

The new definition covers off members of some standing, elected before 2007 ("the 46th General Assembly"), and those elected in 2007 ("elected for the first time to the 46th General Assembly").

But what is the application of this amended Act to future MHAs, those who will be elected in the 47th and subsequent General Assemblies? Not only is some legislative drafter stupidly using indirect references (46th General Assembly") rather than plain-language dates ("before October 9th, 2007", "on or after October 9th, 2007"), they are also neglecting to consider the prospective application of their legislation, or, as they say, how it will work on a go-forward basis.