Politicians pay raises are obsecene

Dahn Batchelor's Opinions

I am annoyed by the Ontario Legislature's decision to boost MPP salaries by 25 per cent. Backbenchers pay increased by $22,000 a year to $110,775. What really make their actions obscene is that most of them claim that they run for office from a sense of public service. That’s hogwash. According to the way they talk, they would work for the minimum wage and still run for office from a sense of duty to their fellow citizens. More hogwash.

Premier Dalton McGuinty back in 1996, when he was running for the Liberal leadership, explained at some length that he wanted to become premier so he could bring the kind of common-sense, problem-solving approach his parents taught him to the entire province. His paycheque has now jumped $39,000 to $198,620 annually. The hogwash just keeps piling up.

Labour Minister Steve Peters – who along with other cabinet ministers will see his pay go up $596 a week or $31,000 annually to $157,633
By comparison, the governor of New York state is paid $179,000 (U.S.) and state legislators $79,500. In Michigan, the governor's salary is $172,000 while legislators make $79,650.

When the former New Democratic premier Bob Rae was asked in December 2006 why he wanted to be federal Liberal leader. He said, "The reason is because I love this country.” He was careful to not mention that he gets $147,700 as an MP. Are we to believe that his salary has no bearing on his real motive to be a member of parliament?

There are exceptions however. Ontario Conservative Leader John Tory, a wealthy lawyer from a wealthy family, made about $4.5 million a year before he entered provincial politics. It's doubtful that he's doing his current job for the money. So, it's odd that he assumes everyone else is. Tory is one of those who say that unless MPPs' salaries are substantially increased, the best and brightest will go elsewhere. The hogwash is getting deeper.

Is there a positive correlation between salary capacity and political ability? Consider Paul Martin. He made a bundle running Canada Steamship Lines. But as prime minister, he was a bit of a loser. David Emerson is another highly paid corporate big shot drawn into the world of federal politics. But as a functioning politician, the one-time Liberal turned Tory is a disaster.

There is no doubt in my mind that most politicians do work long and hard. There are exceptions of course but when it comes to their incomes, service to their fellow citizens is irrelevant.

The governing Liberals refuse to raise the minimum wage from $7.75 to $10 an hour and instead only raised it another twenty-five cents to eight dollars an hour. They also refused to raise welfare rates to a level that would allow those on social assistance to live above the poverty line.

Those who receive the minimum wage, in the doughnut shops, pizza joints and sweat shops of the province, work long, hard hours. Eight dollars an hour is not a living wage but the politicians believe that that’s all these unfortunate workers are entitled to.

Finance Minister Greg Sorbara (another wealthy individual drawn to politics supposedly for non-monetary reasons) argued that an increase in the minimum wage would devastate the economy. He argued that if employers were forced to pay minimum-wage pizza-delivery drivers more, they would fire these Ontario workers and outsource the jobs to China. If that happened, the waiting time for service would be astronomical. The hogwash is now overflowing.

As for increasing welfare rates, the government tells us that this too is a no-no. They say that eliminating poverty would undermine the incentive structure by permitting the lazy poor to sit at home drinking beer and watching TV. Careful where you walk----there is hogwash under foot.

True, politicians in Ottawa – and even on some municipal councils – make more than MPPs. But this sorry state of affairs occurs only because of trade distortions. Let’s outsource Queen's Park’s politicians by electing cheaper MPPs from the developing world who could stay in their home countries and vote on bills via the Internet.

The vote – with 77 Liberal and Progressive Conservative MPPs in favour of the raise and seven New Democrats against – was the MPPs' last official business before beginning their long Christmas break. NDP House leader Peter Kormos said of the raise. "It's the height of arrogance, it's the height of greed, it's the height of avarice. I am curious as to what he is going to do with his raise.

But not all New Democrats appeared on side with their leader, with MPPs Rosario Marchese (Trinity-Spadina) and Gilles Bisson (Timmins-James Bay) absent from yesterday's vote. Both privately favoured the increase.

Hampton and several of his MPPs committed to give their raises to charity, although they could have opted out of the wage increase under terms of the bill. Hampton said he would keep giving the raise to charity after the next election. Hey, wake up. If he really felt that the pay raise was inappropriate, then why didn’t he refuse it instead of giving it to charity and probably getting a tax cut as a direct result of his so-called ‘generosity’.

Scrooge said it best in the Christmas Carol. Bah! Humbug!