In Dalton McGuinty’s Ontario, families are paying higher taxes and experiencing real cuts to frontline health care while 367 executives in the Ontario Public Service earn more than what is allowed under the maximum salary cap for their positions.
Bloated public sector wages
Last week’s Fall Economic Statement showed the McGuinty Liberals failed to make a dent in Ontario’s budget deficit, in part because the Government’s proposed wage freeze is being ignored and Dalton McGuinty isn’t serious about wage restraint. More than half of Ontario’s Deputy Ministers earn more than what the rules allow.
Most Ontario families can’t even imagine such large salaries. But Dalton McGuinty has grown so out of touch he believes making families pay more for his failed attempt to keep bloated public sector wages under control.
QUOTES“At a time when Ontario families are struggling to pay for Dalton McGuinty’s tax grabs and costly energy experiments, the McGuinty Liberals won’t even enforce the existing salary caps for senior public servants. Clearly, Dalton McGuinty is out of touch with hard-working families.” -- Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
“The McGuinty Liberals have not only failed to bring public sector wages into line with the private sector’s ability to pay, but they’re breaking the rules. Premier McGuinty has created a culture of entitlement, where the rules he sets down can be broken without consequence.” -- Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
QUICK FACTS
The Ontario PC Caucus uncovered information that shows 367 senior executives in the Ontario Public Service are earning more than what is allowed under the salary caps for their positions.
More than half – 25 out of 37 – of Ontario’s Deputy Ministers listed on the Sunshine List earn more than the rules allow, and the average salary for a Deputy Minister is $16,000 higher than the cap. Combined with taxable benefits, the average becomes $27,000 above the salary cap.
If the McGuinty Government respected the salary ceilings for OPS executives, it could save at least $7.7 million.
In July, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said: “We can’t manage the deficit without addressing what is the single biggest line in our deficit – public sector compensation.” (Citytv.com, July 20, 2010)
