Idle No More: Who Earns More Than FN Chiefs?

Thanks to Scoop It! for republishing this article on their website.

When I read that Stephen Harper’s salary was Number 6 on the list of Top 10 Political Leader Salaries, I was surprised.

Since he was at Number 6 on the list based on his salary of $296,400 (in US dollars) that he collected in 2010 as Prime Minister of Canada, I was certain that the salaries of the leaders of the United States of America, Australia and China had to be in the Top 5. If not, then undoubtedly British prime minister David Cameron and Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi would be in the Top 5 somewhere, being leaders of G20 countries with larger populations and economies than our own.

I was mistaken. The Top 5 (in descending order) were Singapore, Hong Kong (not to be mistaken with China), Kenya, America and France.

But this article isn’t about the Top 10: This is about Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada … the man who rebranded the government from the Government of Canada to the Harper Government.

This is the leader who earned $296,400 (in US dollars) in 2010 and who collected countless other stipends and allowances that are his to claim (and which he did claim).

Since we’re talking about Canada and Canadian politicians, let’s put everything into Canadian dollars to make comparisons easier. That being said, Parliament’s website gives Stephen Harper’s base salary for 2011 as $317,574 CDN (keeping in mind that he’s not only the Prime Minister but also the Conservative Member of Parliament for Calgary Southwest, so a double-header base salary). You see, even on Parliament’s website, it states that “Members who occupy certain offices and positions are entitled to additional remuneration in accordance with the Parliament of Canada Act as listed.”

He lives in a 100% subsidized house with free rent over on Sussex Drive in Ottawa. He also has a 100% subsidized country retreat in Gatineau Park at Harrington Lake,and a 100% subsidized office in the Langevin Block just across from Parliament Hill. He has an armored car at his disposal that’s also 100% subsidized, and he travels in a CC-150 Polaris (international travel) and a Challenger 601 (domestic travel).   To be fair, however, he DOES have to share those two airplanes with other important politicians.

And as with any politician, he has 100% subsidized constant personal security for himself and his immediate family members (Although, I do remember a news story where former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien protected and defended his wife Aline from an armed assailant who broke into 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa during his tenure as Prime Minister of Canada.  Mr. Chrétien, armed with nothing more than an Inuit carving, did an admirable job of protecting his wife, and neither his wife nor he suffered any injuries from the incident.)

Stephen Harper can rest easy knowing that his pension (which he can begin collecting at age 55 just like those Freedom55 ads on television promise), severance package, and benefits such as health, dental and prescription are also covered. He has an entertainment account so he can make visitors feel welcome when they drop in to visit the Harpers or the Harper government, and that’s to be expected. After all, he’s been elected to represent the country, hasn’t he?

Over all, though, Stephen Harper’s not doing too badly in terms of bringing home the bacon to his wife and kids.

Now, there are those who will point out that Stephen Harper’s base salary and stipends still fall far below what many CEO’s in large corporations command, but let’s not compare apples with oranges. Let’s keep it about the politics and the politicians who collect money for being politicians.

So, Stephen made $317,574 CDN base salary in 2011 and got lots and lots of freebies paid for by Canadian taxpayers. To make things easier yet, let’s round that up to $318,000 CDN.

The average household income in 2010 in Canada was $69,860 CDN and they paid out lots and lots of money for basic things that are freebies for Stephen Harper. Let’s round that up to $70,000 CDN.

Stephen:     $318,000 PLUS EXTRAS INCLUDING RENT
Canadians: $ 70,000 MINUS EXPENSES INCLUDING RENT

So what do First Nations officials earn annually? Surely it must be somewhere between $70,000 and $318,000, plus extras. Here’s the 4-1-1 on just how much First Nations officials earn.

In other words, the average salary for a First Nations official is $36,845 CDN, with only 3% actually earning over $100,000 CDN.

“But wait,” you might say.  “Didn’t the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation (CTF) say in their report that there was a group of First Nations officials that were getting paid way more than even Stephen Harper?”

Here’s where apples and oranges can get interesting.

You see, when the CTF did their salary comparison, they compared Stephen Harper’s base salary and the Premiers’ base salaries MINUS all the extras, to the base salaries of First Nations officials PLUS all the extras such as travel per diems, honorariums, and other remuneration (with “other” remuneration being all other sources of revenue, not just salaries).

Well, you can see how that’s not going to make for a fair comparison, right?

Of course, the original CTF report claimed a couple hundred or so reserve politicians were paid more than provincial premiers. The CTF later revised their original number down to about two-thirds of that original CTF number. However, evening out the financial playing field, the fact of the matter is that only 0.6% of First Nations officials are earning as much as, or more, than the premier in the same province in which that First Nations official lives and works.

In any case, I’m sure at this point you get the picture.

First Nations elected officials are committed to transparency and accountability. But when others insist on mixing apples with oranges to negatively skew the facts and demonize First Nations peoples, it’s time to do some serious research and take a look at the facts instead of the fiction.

Elyse Bruce