There appears to be only lukewarm interest at Queen’s Park in addressing political salaries, as Ontario Premier Doug Ford acknowledges that one of his reasons for promoting some MPPs is “unfair” base salaries and the province’s “tough” cost of living.
As part of an extended explanation of why he promoted a new raft of his caucus to positions as parliamentary assistants last week, Ford said it was “just not fair” that Ontario politicians have not received a raise since 2007.
Despite the premier suggesting the $116,000 MPPs receive annually is insufficient, his office told Global News they were not considering addressing the issue through a review or increase.
“We don’t have any plans to lift the freeze,” a spokesperson for Ford said on Friday.
Across the aisle, there also appears to be limited interest in tackling the salaries paid to parliamentarians.
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Both the Ontario NDP and Liberals said they were …