While I like the move away from bonuses to holdbacks for Crown Corporation executives, the provincial government is still missing the most important problem: the bar set to get these holdbacks/bonuses paid out are set too low.

You would never give Henrik Sedin a bonus for 30 assists. He hits that by December every season. But to entice him to shoot more, you might give him a bonus for 30 goals—a number he has never reached.

Executive bonuses ran into trouble because the boards of these organizations set such low standards. When 99 per cent of a corporation gets a bonus—as BC Hydro employees did—you know the threshold is too low.

Individual ministers need to challenge the various boards that report to them to ask for tougher-to-reach goals. Those ministers have the moral authority to do so: they face a 10 per cent holdback if they don’t reach their ministry goals, and another 10 per cent holdback when the Province is in deficit. They can lead by example in this, and should.

Make those goals tougher!