In front of a flying bullet

From Monday's proceedings in the strangely Premier-less Bow-Wow Parliament. (Where is that Premier, anyway?)

MS JONES: Yes, it is exactly what I was looking for so I am glad that you referred me to it. I am just going to run down through those positions now for just a moment.

First of all, according to this, the Premier receives a salary of $78,202. I guess that is on top of his salary as an MHA, so that would be the salary he would receive as the Premier. So that salary of $78,000 to the Premier is being paid out from the public purse. Because there was a lot of public commentary that the Premier was not taking a salary, but according to this he is receiving $78,000.

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Chairman, I will have to check on that. It is my understanding, again from talking to a couple of my hon. colleagues, that the total of the Premier’s salary is received but it is donated. That includes both his salary as an MHA and what would be here as his salary as the Premier. Again, I can check on that but the Deputy Premier is indicating that is correct.

MS JONES: So he is being paid a salary, because I think there is a lot of perception out there that the Premier of the Province does not take a salary. What he does with it after, I guess, is really not my business. My business is just that: Does it come out of the Estimates of government or does it not? I am just noticing here that it does come out of the Estimates of government and that there is a public salary paid out. It is like all of us; what we do with our salary when we receive it is entirely up to us. It is really not of business to the public. The only business to the public is that we get paid what we are supposed to get paid for the jobs that we do.

The Chief of Staff, according to this – first of all, the Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier, it says here they are paid $28,000. Do they work part time? Do they receive salary for another position within the office? Or, Mr. Chairman, this is the amount that is paid out to the appointed MHA, I am assuming, Mr. Chairman. I am assuming it is paid out to the appointed MHA who would be the parliamentary appointed Secretary to the Premier and it would be an additional salary that they would receive over and above their MHA salary. I just wanted to verify that is correct.

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Chairman, first, again, I think the Leader of the Opposition knows better in terms of the Premier’s salary. It is my understanding that Finance told him he had to take the salary in order to donate it to charity, which is essentially what he does. To leave any other impression, I would suggest, Mr. Chairman, is not fair. The Premier’s salary is provided to, I think it is the Williams Family Foundation, which then distributes it to charity. The Premier of this Province does not receive one cent to himself for the benefit of what he does. Unlike the rest of us, or at least unlike me, I use my salary to live.