Cabinet ministers get a 50-per-cent salary bonus on top of their $105,881 base salary as an MLA. That means each cabinet minister pockets an additional $52,940 a year. Parliamentary secretaries bag bonus bucks, too: An additional $15,882 a year.
VICTORIA — While Premier Christy Clark had the right to be the first to form government and introduce a small cabinet but the one Clark swore in this week for her temporary Liberal government was a bloated and costly one and not to mention – completely useless as she is staring down a loss of confidence and loss of power.
Clark’s 22-member cabinet included five new ministers including Ellis Ross, B.C.’s first indigenous cabinet minister with a portfolio as he takes over at natural gas development and housing.
“The new cabinet does reflect some new perspectives based on what we heard during the election,” she said.
Clark said her government will introduce a political agenda in its throne speech when the legislature is recalled June 22. She also said the government will put forward a Liberal member to serve as Speaker, but she didn’t mention who that person would be.
“We will have an ambitious agenda,” she said. “That’s the duty I have as premier.”
But Clark’s cabinet, like her and her government, will be costly to taxpayers.
“Christy Clark said Monday her new cabinet will operate in “mostly caretaker mode” with few new initiatives coming from a government that appears doomed to defeat in the legislature,” wrote Province newspaper columnist Mike Smyth
“So why does she need 21 cabinet ministers and 13 parliamentary secretaries all racking up extra salary while they twiddle their thumbs and wait to get fired? That’s a whole lot of caretakers making a whole lot of taxpayers’ money when Clark could have sent a fiscally prudent message to the public with a smaller cabinet.”
Cabinet ministers get a 50-per-cent salary bonus on top of their $105,881 base salary as an MLA. That means each cabinet minister pockets an additional $52,940 a year. Parliamentary secretaries bag bonus bucks, too: An additional $15,882 a year.
“…there was no need for 34 “caretakers” all making bonus bucks until then. That’s just a waste of your money,” Smyth wrote.
Her minority government is expected to lose a vote of confidence in the days following the return of the legislature. The legislature resumes on June 22 and she is expected to lose the confidence vote which is scheduled to be held on June 29.
The Liberals have the most seats so parliamentary convention requires that Clark receive the first chance to form a government.
Here is the entire cabinet list:
— Andrew Wilkinson, justice minister and attorney general.
— Norm Letnick, agriculture minister.
— Stephanie Cadieux, children and family development minister.
— Mike Bernier, education minister.
— Mary Polak, health minister.
— Mike de Jong, finance minister.
— Steve Thomson, minister of forests, lands and natural resource operations.
— Donna Barnett, minister of state for rural economic development.
— Teresa Wat, minister of international trade, minister responsible for the Asia Pacific strategy and multiculturalism.
— Shirley Bond, minister of jobs, tourism and skills training, minister responsible for labour.
— Mike Morris, solicitor general and public safety minister.
— Coralee Oakes, minister of small business and red tape reduction, minister responsible for the liquor distribution branch.
— Rich Coleman, energy and mines minister.
— Michelle Stilwell, minister of social development and social innovation.
— Todd Stone, minister of transportation and infrastructure.
— Ellis Ross, minister of natural gas development, minister responsible for housing.
— Jas Johal, minister of technology, innovation and citizens’ services.
— Sam Sullivan, minister of community, sport and cultural development.
— Jordan Sturdy, environment minister.
— Linda Reid, minister of advanced education.
