Bill 6–The Public Sector Compensation Disclosure Amendment Act

Thursday May 31, I spoke briefly at 3rd reading on Bill 6 which would raise the threshold for public reporting of salaries for people working in or for government bodies in Manitoba from $50,000 a year to $75,000 a year.

Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Madam Speaker, on this bill, we actually support an increase in the threshold, but we see a fundamental problem in the way that this bill is being administered, and we see no sign that the government is ready to change that. And the problem is this: that an unknown number of people who are getting money from the government, who are earning, or will be earning, more than $75,000 a year are not being captured. And they're not being captured because they're earning from two different places in government. And because they're earning–they may get $60,000 one place and $50,000 another, and they end up earning $110,000, but they're not even going to be listed at the $75,000 rate [because the government does not report all combined income from government sources] .

So this is wrong. And so we can't support this building–this bill because it actually won't capture everybody who's above $75,000. And, until that's done, then we won't support it. Thank you.

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