Premier Klein's Health Minister Gary Mar has paid Tory insider Kelley Charlebois over $400,000 for oral "advice." Although Gary Mar has 1,287 employees in his health ministry doing administrative and communications work, he paid Mr. Charlebois $143,000 in 2001, then $119,000 in 2002, then $111,000 in 2003 for giving oral "advice." After paying Mr. Charlebois $373,000, Gary Mar hired him again in 2004. Then, last week, with the public expressing outrage and with a provincial election getting closer, Gary Mar finally terminated this fourth lucrative "consulting" contract.

A Freedom of Information request by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation revealed that no reports are available to show whether Mr. Charlebois produced anything of value to taxpayers. Nor were these "consulting" contracts put to public tender; Mr. Charlebois got them without any competition.

So here we have an untendered contract, awarded to a friend of the government, and no work to show for it. Is Premier Klein's government different from the federal Liberals in Ottawa How many other Tory insiders are getting tax dollars for "oral advice" and "consulting" work that taxpayers will never see

Since Premier Klein's government is so interested in advice, and prepared to give hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to consultants for advice, let me remind him of advice from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, for which there is no charge:

Protect taxpayers with legislation. Right now, Alberta's politicians can raise any tax at any time for any reason, without having to get permission from those who pay the bills. A JMCK poll revealed that 83% of Albertans want legislation requiring that proposed new taxes and proposed tax increases be put to voters in a referendum for their approval before going into effect.

Repeal the tax increases imposed on Albertans in 2002.

Give Albertans the right to initiate and vote in referendums on issues of our choice. Citizens in Switzerland, New Zealand, 23 American states, and British Columbia have the right to put a proposal on the ballot for consideration by their fellow citizens. A 2001 Environics poll revealed that 79% of Albertans want citizens' initiative legislation, with only 15% opposed and 6% undecided.

Control spending with legislation. Spending on government programs has gone up 86% in just eight years, while Alberta's population grew only 17%.

Abolish the health care premium tax. It's deceptive, because it doesn't pay for health care. It's regressive, because a family with kids earning $35,000 per year must pay $1,056 in health care premium taxes in addition to income tax, fuel tax, property tax, etc.

Abolish the 3% tax on car insurance, and taxes on other kinds of insurance.

Penalize ministers who fail to meet their budgets, by docking their pay when their ministries exceed the spending limit set out in the budget.

Reduce the size of cabinet back to 17 members, as it was in 1993 when you launched your "conservative revolution" (which is now mostly reversed).

Stop spending 100% of our oil and gas revenues. Put part of this money into the Heritage Fund for future generations, and also give some of it directly back to taxpayers as income tax refunds.

There is no invoice. If Premier Klein implements this advice, Albertans will get "paid" by keeping more of their own money to care for themselves and their families, with less money going to politicians and bureaucrats - and "consultants" like Mr. Charlebois.