Gary Mar, who lost the 2011 PC leadership contest to former premier Alison Redford, earned $275,159 in base salary and $50,868 in cash benefits last year, along with $234,252 in non-cash benefits. Photograph by: Leah Hennel , Calgary Herald

EDMONTON — Taxpayers forked out $560,000 to failed PC leadership candidate Gary Mar to serve as Alberta’s representative in Asia last year, according to newly-released documents.

Mar earned $275,159 in base salary and another $50,868 in cash benefits, as well as $234,252 in non-cash benefits last year, according to financial disclosure documents in the International and Intergovernmental Relations annual report released last week.

The former Tory cabinet minister who lost the 2011 leadership race to Alison Redford received nearly $100,000 more in compensation last year than he did in 2013, according to the documents.

Opposition party critics called Mar’s appointment and pay package “the ultimate patronage.”

“Wow! That’s a lot of money — more than the president of the United States of America and the prime minister of our country make,” said Liberal Leader Raj Sherman.

“I guess it pays to finish second in a PC leadership race.”

Mar attended the premier’s Stampede pancake breakfast Monday, but he deferred a request for comment Friday to IIR spokeswoman Jeannie Smith.

Smith said Mar’s salary was inflated by $50,000 because of a delayed payment of his Hong Kong taxes, which resulted him being reimbursed for two year’s taxes last year.

According to Mar’s contract, the province also pays for his family to take four round trips home per year and for tuition for his child to receive an education equivalent to one in Alberta.

Mar is also provided with a car and housing, but is required to pay rent to the province. In lieu of a management pension he receives an allowance equal to 13.1 per cent of his base salary.

He is also entitled to a tax exempt “post allowance” and “international assignment premium.”

Most of the non-cash benefits were not included on the province’s posted sunshine list of government employee remuneration, and although Mar’s total compensation in the annual report exceeded the best paid employee on the list — deputy minister Jay Ramotar at $400,000 — he never even cracked the top 10. According to the sunshine list, he earned $322,000.

Mar, who previously served as Alberta’s envoy in Washington, was appointed to the Hong Kong post in 2011 after his failed leadership bid. He oversees six Asian trade offices.

Smith said his role is to develop business, cultural and educational relationships within the Asian market.

“Asia is our highest priority market and having him on the ground gives us an opportunity to get access to all those important markets, because Asian culture demands strong personal relationships between senior governmental representatives and it helps us open doors and advance discussions,” Smith said.

But Sherman said he would like the governing Tories to show Albertans they are getting value for their money.

Wildrose MLA Rod Fox said that if the province held open competitions for its diplomatic jobs, the salaries would not be “out of the stratosphere.”

“I think there are a lot of people who would do a great job for a lot less than $500,000,” he said.

NDP critic Rachel Notley said Mar’s total compensation is “completely out of bounds” with what Alberta civil servants are paid.

“He is well beyond what deputy ministers make,” she said.

“They had to make a special deal for him and there’s no good reason for that other than the fact that he is a political insider and a former leadership candidate.”

dhenton@calgaryherald.com