Premier Jim Prentice and the members of his cabinet have accepted a five per cent wage reduction as part of their ‘commitment to exercising fiscal discipline in these challenging times’.
“At this point, we are dealing with elected representatives, we are the people Albertans look to for leadership in these circumstances,” said Premier Prentice. “This is how I am going to govern myself as premier and how I expect my ministers to govern themselves.”
The pay cuts equate to a reduction of:
- $11,000 per year for Premier Prentice
- $10,000 per year for ministers
- $6,000 per year for MLAs
During next week’s committee meeting, all serving MLAs will be asked to take the same pay cut.
Should the remaining MLAs accept the reduction, the move is expected to save approximately $600,000 annually.
The leader of the official opposition says the move does not go far enough.
“While my Wildrose colleagues and I welcome any cut to cabinet minister pay, I’m disappointed Premier Prentice chose not to take real action in addressing the bloated compensation packages Cabinet Ministers receive," said Wildrose leader Heather Forsyth. “As Wildrose has recommended for years, total compensation for cabinet ministers should immediately be rolled back by 30 per cent and adjusted for inflation to 2008 levels.
