Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, I believe it was, in the House — or this week, at least — a couple of documents were tabled with respect to the Ministerial Benefits Policy and also a report respecting benefits to Ministers under that policy for the fiscal year ended March 31. Every term I believe that there is an independent commission struck to look at Members’ remuneration and benefits. I think that this commission allows for a cross-section of input and public participation for those who may wish to comment on Members’ benefits and pay.
The Members of the Executive Council actually are entitled to somewhat different benefits, and I was wondering if the Premier could tell us, please: how are those benefits and policies set? Who gets to vote on that?
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Hon. Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Executive Council, as well as the Legislative Assembly Act, covers a number of areas. The Executive piece is following work that was done by previous governments and put into place, in fact, to kick in with this the 16th Legislative Assembly.
The work was done prior to this Assembly. It came into effect, and in fact, this tabling of this information is the first time we are putting it forward for information for the public.
I thought that the Cabinet actually made decisions on policies reflecting Ministers’ benefits. Anyway, moving on from there, I got the answer I thought was going to hear. I still don’t really know what the answer is. I don’t want to waste all four questions on the same topic, so moving on.
The capital living allowance for members of the Executive Council, I have no problem with that. Members are expected to live here on a full time basis, and that certainly requires a certain level of comfort and an amount of space. No problem. Home travel is absolutely reasonable. Members have got to go back to their constituencies when they serve on the Executive Council. But there are a few other benefits in here which I think are a little bit unusual. Cabinet Ministers are allowed to accrue sick leave and vacation leaves. I’d like to ask the Premier: what is the policy of this Executive Council with respect to actually paying people out for those benefits?
Mr. Speaker, we follow the same pattern as employees would have for annual leave, for example. Sick leave, though, is different. You can accrue that, but there is no payout at any time for that piece. Annual leave, there is payout for that, as there has been in previous Assemblies.
Certainly it did exist in previous Assemblies. Just to note the difference, though, Regular Members do not accrue vacation leave, and we certainly don’t get paid out for it at the end of our term, but Cabinet Ministers do.
Mr. Speaker, also under the Ministerial Benefits Policy there is something called an entertainment allowance. It is a non-accountable $1,500 annual allowance for duty related entertainment expenses. I would like to ask the Premier: is that over and above the already existing approximately $1,000 a month that Members receive? So they would get the Members’ $1,000 non-accountable plus the Cabinet Ministers’ $1,500 non-accountable expense for entertainment?
Mr. Speaker, maybe I should take a better look at my Members’ portion of benefits. The ministerial piece is $1,500 for the year, and it covers other expenses that Members who are Ministers would incur in their duties, whether it is in the capital or when they are travelling, to cover off some of the additional costs that one would run across.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.
I was wanting to know if it is over and above what Regular Members receive. I have to assume that it is, that the $1,500 is separate and for ministerial entertainment, as opposed to MLA expenses in that area.
Mr. Speaker, these questions went all too quickly, but do Ministers also have access to the departmental budget, credit cards, allowances for such things as entertainment?
Mr. Speaker, if a Minister — I’ll use ENR as an example — deals with a department issue and has a group of individuals or a conference, the department would pick up those costs on that side of it. The ministerial piece would be if the Minister himself were to meet with Members, for example, or Ministers from other jurisdictions on other related matters. But if a Minister is specifically meeting and that has been set up to deal with the department or deal with counterparts across the country on files within the department, the department would cover those costs.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
