The Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg, Saturday, August 30, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods)
WINNIPEG — Wages are frozen for Progressive Conservative MLAs for the duration of their current term.
Premier Brian Pallister announced Wednesday all salary increases will be halted until the next election.
“In the effort to recognize and address the fiscal challenges left by the NDP, I have said it’s ‘all hands on deck’ — and that starts with those of us serving in the Legislature,” Pallister said.
Under a current compensation schedule, MLAs’ pay increases 1.6 percent annually for the cost of living. The next increase will be April 1, at which time MLAs will issue personal cheques to the government, totalling an estimated $70,000 in combined increases for the coming fiscal year.
The opposition NDP released the following statement on the move:
Today, we saw a premier attempt to hide the fact that he took a 20 per cent pay increase a year before his supposed wage freeze. The premier and his cabinet took a raise to their salaries that will amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars this year alone.
Pallister and each cabinet minister received approximately $20,000 more this year. This totals nearly $260,000 for the entire cabinet.We have no problem taking a wage freeze in solidarity with front-line workers who are being attacked by Pallister’s Govt. Our party actually walks the talk – our MLAs and cabinet took wage freezes for five years and reduced the salaries of the premier and each cabinet minister by 20 per cent.
This Government needs to stop attacking health-care and education and offer real solutions for families.
