“It is shocking that Doug Ford is urging MPPs to get on his train twice at a time – doubling parliamentary assistants in many portfolios and giving dozens of Conservatives a big pay rise,” said Peter Tabuns, Ontario NDP interim leader. .
Tabuns was just named interim leader by his party on Tuesday night and was tasked with leading until a permanent replacement is found for Andrea Horwath, who resigned following the NDP’s last election defeat earlier this month.
His comments came Wednesday after Prime Minister Doug Ford’s office released a list of 43 new parliamentary aides appointed by his government. The posts are accompanied by an annual salary increase of more than $ 16,000, and the NDP noted that the most recent appointments include 18 more parliamentary assistant posts than in the previous parliamentary term.
The NDP also noted that Ford has added nine more cabinet posts from 2018 to a total of 30 ministers at present. The extra pay for cabinet ministers is close to $ 50,000 a year.
The basic salary for MPP is $ 116,500 and has been frozen at this amount since 2008.
In a statement, the Ford office said parliamentary aides would support the cabinet “in implementing the Ontario government’s ambitious plan to build.”
“Parliament’s assistants support ministers in legislative and commission matters, including special tasks and assignments that require dedicated leadership,” the statement said. “They also play a key role in building relationships and communicating government initiatives across the province.”
The latest appointments mean that almost everyone in Ford’s parliamentary group – 73 out of 83 MPPs – will have additional paid posts.
Some other positions, such as speaker and alternate speaker, also have additional pay and have not yet been filled.
