EDMONTON - The Alberta Liberals say they will put more consumer representatives on the province's automobile insurance rate board if they form the next government.
Rick Miller, the party's finance critic before the provincial election was called for March 3, says there are nine members on the board now, and only one represents drivers.
Other reforms would include disallowing politically connected appointees, says Miller, who points out the board's current chairman, Alf Savage, is a former president of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party.
The board assesses and approves basic-coverage insurance premiums and ratings for passenger vehicles.
Auto insurance became an unexpected election topic last week when a court threw out a $4,000 cap on soft tissue injuries that the government had imposed when it reformed premiums several years ago.
The opposition parties immediately took up the issue, but Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach's Tories are no longer talking about it because the government is appealing the ruling.
