WINNIPEG – The former head of Manitoba Public Insurance has abruptly resigned from a $50,000 a year contract job with the Crown corporation, after it was revealed she had done no work.
But not before she’d already been paid $27,300.
Marilyn McLaren retired as CEO of MPI last February. A few weeks later she was given the $50,000 contract. At the time, the minister responsible for MPI, Andrew Swan, said she was being kept on “to provide some advice to the corporation.”
But at a legislative committee meeting on Tuesday, the current CEO of MPI, Dan Guimond, told MLAs that McLaren had done no work and was only kept on to provide “insurance” in case he quits or gets sick.
Manitoba’s opposition Progressive Conservatives provided a transcipt of this exchange between PC MLA Kelvin Goertzen and Guimond.
Goertzen: “So what work has she done until now under this contract?”
Guimond: “None.”
Goertzen: “But is she getting paid?”
Guimond: “Yes she is, the, it’s an insurance policy.”
Global News asked early Wednesday afternoon to speak to Guimond about the exchange. The corporation said it would only provide a statement. Meanwhile, Swan met with reporters to say McLaren had quit the controversial position. A spokesperson for MPI later sent an email confirming McLaren had to date been paid $27,300 for the no-work “insurance” contract.
“It became very clear in standing committee (Tuesday) that the CEO has felt the transition has gone so well and his management team supported him well enough that it hasn’t been necessary to call upon Marilyn who was open and willing to providing those services,” Swan told reporters Wednesday.
He says it is a common practice for outgoing CEO’s to remain in an advisory capacity.
Comments