Harper defends pay bonuses for political staff

[oneh2obabe]

The Canadian Press
Sat, 16 Apr, 2011 2:00 PM EDT

VANCOUVER - Prime Minister Stephen Harper is defending pay raises for political staffers at a time of budget belt-tightening.

The prime minister was asked Saturday about bonuses for ministerial staffers which, in one case, drove up an employee's annual salary by $35,000 — to $190,000.

The Tories have also approved new rules that would allow pay raises for employees, in addition to 50 per cent more separation pay on top of severance packages.

Those changes come into effect as Harper's Conservatives plan to cut $4 billion a year from the federal budget.

Harper defended the move at a news conference; he noted that the new Treasury Board guidelines will simply tie political staffers' pay to salaries in the civil service, which are in line for an increase.

"The pay raises we're talking about are pay raises across the board," Harper said.

"They're not for political staffers. These are government employee pay raises and our political staffers are simply tied to those."

He noted that that, despite individual raises, the overall budgets for ministers' offices will be cut 11 per cent.

A document obtained by The Canadian Press, however, explains that some of the savings being touted will actually be achieved through changes in accounting.

The cost of international travel is now being transferred from the budgets of ministerial offices to departments within the Government of Canada — allowing ministerial offices to declare a smaller budget.

Harper saluted his outgoing Treasury Board Minister Stockwell Day, who is retiring, for helping control ministerial budgets.

"There may be some individual increases for people but the budgets of ministers' offices are being cut by 11 per cent — that's what the Conservative government is doing," he said.

"That's the kind of thing Canadians expect us to do."

Harper was in British Columbia promoting his platform promises on crime, which would force sexual attackers to pay more into a victims' fund and would punish inmates who fail drug tests.

* * * * *
Harper's statement
"There may be some individual increases for people but the budgets of ministers' offices are being cut by 11 per cent — that's what the Conservative government is doing," he said.

How it'll be achieved (the Hollywood method of creative accounting)
A document obtained by The Canadian Press, however, explains that some of the savings being touted will actually be achieved through changes in accounting.

The cost of international travel is now being transferred from the budgets of ministerial offices to departments within the Government of Canada — allowing ministerial offices to declare a smaller budget.

[normaM]

$35,000? yea, real belt tightening.

[oneh2obabe]

What, doesn't everybody get an average 22.5% salary increase?

Pay raises are bad enough but ... The Tories have also approved new rules that would allow pay raises for employees, in addition to 50 per cent more separation pay on top of severance packages. Oh yeah, everybody gets a 50% golden parachute increase.

[The Green Barbarian]

meh...

yet you guys are totally ok with the massive spending increases that Layton and Ignatieff are promising? I don't get it.

[Logitack]

and yet you conservatives are okay with exorbitant pay bonus and salary increase.... and you whine about liberals/ndp being irresponsible...i dont get it!

[The Green Barbarian]

and yet you conservatives are okay with exorbitant pay bonus and salary increase.... and you whine about liberals/ndp being irresponsible...i dont get it!

but this is just such peanuts in comparison - that's not a hard concept to understand.

[UnknownResident]

and yet you conservatives are okay with exorbitant pay bonus and salary increase.... and you whine about liberals/ndp being irresponsible...i dont get it!

but this is just such peanuts in comparison - that's not a hard concept to understand.

But Iggy and Layton are promising money to things that affect people. In this context whether it's right or wrong economically doesn't matter. If we're paying for political staff to make more money, it's basically our tax dollars so a political staffer can have a shiny new car or whatever. The fact is the Libs and the NDP are promising us to use our tax dollars on things that benefit us, whereas paying politcal staff more money doesn't benefit us at all.

Unless you'll argue that if they have more money then they'll naturally spend more thus contributing to the economy more, which would be a nice conservative spin to it - and frankly would not shock me in the slightest.

[The Green Barbarian]

The fact is the Libs and the NDP are promising us to use our tax dollars on things that benefit us,
.

See - here's where you and I should just agree to disagree.

[grammafreddy]

Apples and oranges, folks.

Sure, the Liberals and NDP will attack this but they would probably do the same - or something equally stupid if not more stupid.

I don't agree with these pay raises but I also don't agree with cutting front end services who actually do the work. I'd like to see the bureaucracy chopped drastically and things amalgamated that can be fit into tighter ministries with fewer chiefs and more (sorry) Indians.

[UnknownResident]

The fact is the Libs and the NDP are promising us to use our tax dollars on things that benefit us,
.

See - here's where you and I should just agree to disagree.

LOL. Perhaps. I should have said "are promising us to use our tax dollars on things they think we'll think benefit us"

Because I don't really agree with a lot of the spending policies from either party, I don't agree with the pay bonuses either.

[Ranger66]

“The Tories have also approved new rules that would allow pay raises for employees, in addition to 50 per cent more separation pay on top of severance packages.”

I guess what you can read into this, is Harper is making plans for losing the election.

[normaM]

meh...

yet you guys are totally ok with the massive spending increases that Layton and Ignatieff are promising? I don't get it.

I long stopped believing in the tooth fairy or politicians promises. Altho if Jack or Iggy wanna mail me a cheque for $30,000 it might sway me from voting Green

[The Green Barbarian]

meh...

yet you guys are totally ok with the massive spending increases that Layton and Ignatieff are promising? I don't get it.

I long stopped believing in the tooth fairy or politicians promises. Altho if Jack or Iggy wanna mail me a cheque for $30,000 it might sway me from voting Green

all I needed to sway me from voting Green was read their platform. YIKES!!

[I Think]

Why wouldn't he have to pay big bonuses?
Its the only way he can get his help to act even slightly loyal to him.

[The Green Barbarian]

Why wouldn't he have to pay big bonuses?
Its the only way he can get his help to act even slightly loyal to him.

I have to admit - that was a good line.