MPP Pay Hike Officially Passes At Queen’s Park
Posted December 21, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
And your Christmas bills haven’t even started to arrive yet.
Why are you suddenly in so much debt? Because politicians at Queen’s Park did what they promised and officially rammed through the motion awarding themselves a 25 percent pay raise on Thursday.
The change means Ontario MPPs will now be the highest paid provincial politicians in Canada. Their salary will skyrocket from $86,600 a year to $110,000 – a $22,000 increase.
Cabinet ministers will receive an extra $31,000 in their pay packets, leaving them with a take home salary of $157,633 a year.
And Premier Dalton McGuinty will see his 2007 earnings go up to $198,620 – a hike of $39-grand.
The move came amid controversy and complaints. The N.D.P. vowed to stall the raise as long as possible, but in the end, didn’t have enough members to keep the debate going until after Christmas.
They complain too many Ontarians are just barely eking by on their own wages, and that such a big increase isn’t justified.
Niagara Falls MPP Peter Kormos led the unsuccessful charge. “It’s the height of arrogance, it’s the height of greed, its the height of avarice,” he rails. “All during the Christmas season. Shame on them!”
But both the Liberals and the Conservatives beg to differ.
The vote came after recommendations indicated too many good public servants were opting for higher paid positions with the federal government, bypassing Queen’s Park for greener pastures.
Conservative chief John Tory insists it’s a necessity. “We’ve got to make sure people who come to public life are not like me, where they can come regardless of the compensation,” the former head of Rogers Cable argues. “I’m very fortunate.”
But many taxpayers are unhappy, promising to remember the giant jump when the next election arrives in October. The raise should kick in by the New Year.
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