General News

MPPs’ pay to be frozen

March 26, 2014   ·   0 Comments

By Bill Rea
It looks like the salaries of MPPs are going to be frozen for a while longer, but Dufferin-Caledon’s Sylvia Jones doesn’t think it’s going to amount to much.
According to a news release issued by the Province last week, the government has introduced legislation that would extend the current salary freeze until the budget is balanced, and that’s slated to happen in 2017-18.
“This government will continue to take a determined and disciplined approach to eliminating the deficit while continuing to invest in services and programs that families rely on,” commented Finance Minister Charles Sousa.
“I think that it’s pretty small potatoes, compared with what they have to do,” Jones observed, adding a move like this shows little interest in cutting government spending, and really accomplishes nothing. She said the Progressive Conservatives at Queen’s Park have been calling for wage freezes throughout the whole sector in order to “slay the deficit dragon.”
The release from the government pointed out compensation costs account for more than half of all Ontario government spending, either paid directly through the public service or as part of the government’s transfer payments to universities, hospitals and other public sector partners.

Readers Comments (0)