Raise Employment Standards for Federal Elected Officials – Ensure Competent and Accountable Leadership

Petition to Saskatchewan Members of Parliament

To: 

All Saskatchewan Members of Parliament

(Hon. Rosemarie Falk, Hon. Randy Hoback, Hon. Kelly Block, Hon. Jeremy Patzer, and all other MPs representing Saskatchewan ridings in the House of Commons)

Petition Text:

We, the undersigned residents of Saskatchewan and concerned Canadians, respectfully call upon you to champion legislation that raises minimum employment standards for federal elected and appointed officials.

Canada already requires high professional qualifications for roles such as doctors, nurses, teachers, pilots, engineers, and business managers. However, there are currently no formal educational or experience requirements for individuals elected to run the country.

To strengthen governance and public trust, we propose the following minimum standards for future candidacies and appointments:

For all federal positions (MPs, Ministers, and other appointed roles):

• A Canadian Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., law, economics, public administration, political science, or related disciplines), plus a minimum of 2 years of proven relevant professional experience.
• Proficiency in English, French, or an Indigenous language as a first language (additional languages are considered an asset).

For senior leadership roles (Prime Minister, Governor General, Governor of the Bank of Canada):

• All of the above, plus a Canadian Master’s degree in a relevant field and a minimum of 5 years of proven senior-level professional experience.

Additional requirement for the Prime Minister:

• Must have resided in Canada for a minimum of 10 consecutive years immediately prior to taking office.

Compensation and Accountability Measures:

• Set the Prime Minister’s salary at the average Canadian wage.
• Require the Prime Minister to maintain a personal debt load comparable to that of the average Canadian family.
• Determine pensions for the Prime Minister and senior officials through an exit performance review or public vote mechanism, ensuring accountability to Canadians.

Transitional Support:

• Provide current and future sitting MPs who do not yet meet the new educational requirements with funded opportunities to obtain the necessary Canadian degree while continuing to serve.

These standards would help ensure that our elected leaders possess the education, practical experience, and deep understanding of Canadian life needed to make informed decisions on complex issues such as the economy, housing, and public policy.

We ask you, as Saskatchewan’s representatives, to:

1. Introduce or co-sponsor legislation to enshrine these standards into the Canada Elections Act and related federal statutes.
2. Raise this issue in Question Period and relevant House committees within the next 30 sitting days.
3. Publicly support and vote in favour of these reforms.
4. Raising standards for those who govern us is a common-sense step toward better, more accountable government that serves all Canadians — especially families and communities in Saskatchewan.

Sign this petition to show your support for competent and rooted leadership.

Signed, RedPillJamie (#RedPill Jamie) Jamie from Saskatchewan (@financiallee86 on X)