The Ontario NDP has criticized the expansion of roles in party groups with additional pay

The newly-appointed interim leader of the Ontario NDP wasted no time in attacking the ruling PC government on Wednesday, criticizing them for nearly doubling the number of parliamentary assistants who would receive additional salaries as part of their duties.

“It is shocking that Doug Ford is inviting MPs to board his sauce train two at a time – doubling parliamentary assistants in several wallets and giving a big pay rise to dozens of conservatives,” Ontario NDP interim leader Peter said in a statement. Tabuns.

Tabuns was appointed interim leader of his party on Tuesday night and was tasked with leading it until a permanent replacement is found for Andrea Horvat, who stepped down after the NDP’s last loss in elections earlier this month.

His comments came Wednesday after Prime Minister Doug’s cabinet published a list of 43 new parliamentary assistants his government has appointed. The positions come with an annual salary increase of more than $ 16,000, and the NDP pointed out that recent appointments include 18 more parliamentary assistant positions than in the previous legislature.

The NDP also pointed out that Ford has added nine more cabinet positions since 2018 for a total of 30 ministers at the moment. The additional salary of cabinet ministers is nearly $ 50,000 a year.

The basic salary for MPP is $ 116,500 and has been frozen at that amount since 2008.

In a statement, Ford’s office said lawmakers would support the cabinet in “providing the government with an ambitious plan to build Ontario.”

“Parliamentary assistants assist ministers in legislative and commission matters, including special projects and tasks that require dedicated leadership,” the statement said. “They also play a key role in building relationships and communicating government initiatives across the province.

Recent appointments mean that almost everyone in the Ford group – 73 of 83 MPP – will have positions that receive an additional payment.

A number of other positions such as spokesman and vice-president also carry additional pay and are not yet filled.