How much does Nunavut pay its legislators?

Source: Report tabled Oct. 26 in Nunavut legislature.

Nunavut’s ballooning public service salary and benefit system creates a lucrative poverty reduction scheme for members of the Nunavut Legislative Assembly, tabled documents reveal.

The documents, made public Oct. 26, show how much public money Nunavut shelled out during the 2010-11 fiscal year to pay for the services of cabinet ministers and regular MLAs.

Those numbers show that MLAs and cabinet minsters — see the wage chart displayed above — have cashed in big time over the last decade, taking advantage of rising northern allowance payments and generous wage hikes.

For example in 2001-02, Paul Okalik, then the premier, took in $133,420 in total pay plus $10,205 in a “living allowance.”

In 2006-07, the premier got a little more: $150,747, plus other benefts and allowances.

But in 2010-11, Premier Aariak received $193,499 in pay plus $10,924 in travel and living expense allowances, plus other amounts to pay for a constituency office.

The top earners, however, are cabinet ministers and MLAs from constituencies outside Iqaluit.

And the biggest winners are those who use ministerial benefit schemes aimed at helping cabinet ministers who move to Iqaluit to perform those duties.

This includes reimbursements to pay for temporary accommodation in Iqaluit and family travel to and from the ministers’ home constituencies.

Peter Taptuna, the MLA for the far-flung Kugluktuk constituency and a member of cabinet since 2008, took in $193,936 in 2010-11.

On top of that, he recieved $48,226.94 for temporary accomodation in Iqaluit and $45,571.66 for family travel.

Cabinet ministers who live in Iqaluit aren’t eligible for these benefits.

But all cabinet ministers get a $1,500 payment for “entertainment” expenses.

They also get a “spousal travel” benefit, but in 2010-11, no Nunavut cabinet minister used it.

As well, the GN will pay the cost, if necessary, of putting their business assets into a blind trust. Cambridge Bay MLA Keith Peterson received $1,434.50 for that purpose.

Nunavut pays its MLAs using a complicated system of entitlements called “indemnities” and “allowances.”

Indemnities are equivalent to what regular people know as salary. This include a basic payment for being an MLA, plus extra payments for serving on either cabinet or committees.

Allowances are payments intended to compensate MLAs for the cost of doing their job.

In 2006-07, the basic MLA indemnity stood at $68,543. But since then, that figure has shot up to a whopping $90,396

Displayed below is one of the reports table this week in the Nunavut legislature.

Below that, you may view a chart showing the major ministerial benefits that cabinet members received during 2010-11.

Nunavut: Annual Report on Members Indemnities and Absences (2010-11)

Source: Document tabled Oct. 26 in the Nunavut legislature.