Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (Jun 11/01) - Nunavut's Nancy Karetak-Lindell says a 20 per cent raise for members of Parliament is needed.
She was one of 197 MPs who voted for Bill C-28 June 7, and stands to get a $20,000 raise.
Her income would go to $131,400 from approximately $109,500 if approved by the Senate. She said it's necessary to think of the money she earns in terms of $109,500 worth of taxed income.
She said she supported the plan because it put MPs on par with the salaries earned by federal deputy ministers.
Federal cabinet ministers currently earn $159,500, a salary that would rise to $194,640 when the law is adopted. That's compared to the $209,000 to $246,300 earned annually by the highest-ranking federal deputy ministers.
"I feel I have as much of the qualifications to work for Nunavut as the deputy ministers," said Karetak-Lindell.
In response to the criticism the bill has been subjected to across the country, Karetak-Lindell said people should turn that same discerning sense to the dollars paid to the federal bureaucrats.
As for what she plans to do with her increase in pay, Karetak-Lindell said it would be eaten up by the demands of life.
"As a single mother I have to support my kids. That's all I ever do with my money."
