ZT -Mar named Alberta’s representative in Asia

BOSE

By Keith Gerein, edmontonjournal.com October 14, 2011 3:21 PM

EDMONTON - Gary Mar, the former cabinet minister who finished as runner-up in the Progressive Conservative leadership race, is heading to Hong Kong as Alberta’s new representative in Asia.

* v  W( S# A7 o' ]Mar accepted the job from Premier Alison Redford, who narrowly beat Mar in the second round of voting two weeks ago.

“Enhancing our presence and cultivating new opportunities in Asia are critical for our province,” Redford said in a statement Friday. “Gary is a proven relationship builder and he will foster a new era of co-operation between Alberta and Asia. I believe Alberta’s future economic success will be closely tied to our ability to expand into new and burgeoning markets.”
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Accepting the job represents something of a shift for the 49-year-old Mar, who said during the campaign that he would run as an MLA in Calgary if he lost the leadership race.

) f' [/ s6 e9 y1 P9 i8 qHe has not spoken publicly since Oct. 1 when the final results were announced. He was unavailable again Friday for comment, but did release a short statement.

2 d! a( P) R; x6 a9 i8 G/ p8 u$ N“Premier Redford and I had discussions on what my future would entail which included potentially running for office and serving in cabinet. Upon reflection, I see this as both an exciting and challenging opportunity and this is my way of serving Albertans,” the statement said. “I am honoured and humbled that Premier Redford has the confidence in me to lead our province’s efforts in opening up new markets in this region of the world.”

- N6 J% l/ o+ X% f# bThe position is similar to the one Mar held for three years as Alberta’s envoy to Washington. Much of his work in that job involved political advocacy, in which Mar met with federal and state lawmakers to promote Alberta’s oilsands.

4 R0 V2 t9 c& w: W! a( THe will continue doing that advocacy in Asia, though the job description is broader, involving the fields of education and business, said Mike Deising, spokesman for the new ministry of International, Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Relations.

6 V8 S- }; Y( n7 mDeising said the position is a new one. Mar will be in charge of the Alberta government’s six offices in Asia — Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul and Taiwan.
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  }) k5 A0 S9 ]“Gary Mar needs to get a real job,” said NDP leader Brian Mason. “He moves from one plum government job to another in between attempts to acquire high political office.

“Alison Redford has embraced pork-barrel politics with this patronage appointment. These international positions, if they are needed at all, should be filled by merit, not by patronage and cronyism.”

Mar talked at length during the leadership campaign about the importance of expanding Alberta’s presence in Asia at a time when the province’s main export market, the United States, is still struggling economically.
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2 s! J& X+ g8 l3 ?* U/ \Asia is Alberta’s second largest expert market worth almost $8 billion last year. China and India are two of the world’s fastest growing economies.

“The goal is to establish Alberta as the marquee Canadian province in greater Asia,” Deising said.

# t+ \+ X, E2 O: kMar will be paid a base salary of $264,576, similar to his pay as the Washington envoy.
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© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

爱吃苦的瓜

Mar will be paid a base salary of $264,576, similar to his pay as the Washington envoy

这怎么会similar? 美国只能x1.02， Hongkong可以x6.5, 花起来爽多了。