PMO: 21 staffers set to make $100,000 salaries

Documents tabled in the House of Commons last week reveal a salary gap within the PMO. The release comes at the request of Liberal MP Frank Valeriote two years after Conservatives cited privacy concerns against a similar request from NDP MP Tyrone Benskin. The PMO employs 91 full-time staffers, 21 of which are set to get a $100,000 salary while 19 are earning less than $50,000.

In other words, $2.1 million of taxpayer money is spent on these PMO staffers per year. Furthermore, the PMO is the largest it's been in Canadian history.

Members of the PMO by Year and Prime Minister

96-97	97-98	98-99	99-00	00-01	01-02	02-03
662	682	710	744	777	818	938
JC	JC	JC	JC	JC	JC	JC

Legend: Jean Chretien (Liberal): JC; Paul Martin (Liberal): PM; Stephen Harper (Conservative): SH

03-04	04-05	05-06	06-07	07-08	08-09	09-10	10-11
938	1,026	1,032	904	912	981	1,051	1,066
JC	PM	PM	SH	SH	SH	SH	SH

Last January, PMO spending jumped $80.3 million and costed $160 million, meantime, the Conservatives were looking for places to cut.

This also comes at a time when senate appointments have been at al-time highs. Since 2006, Harper has appointed 59 senators, one of the highest rates in history. Appointing 59 Conservative senators is especially high considering Harper promised not to stuff unelected people in the senate in 2004 and 2006.

Harper also broke his 2004 and 2006 accountability campaign in light of the senate spending scandal that crept its way up government ranks and triggered three resignations in one week, one of which Harper's own chief of staff.

The spending scandal arose when it was found that housing allowance claims were being falsely made and one can imagine confidence in the integrity of the upper chamber is in free fall.

The NDP launched their abolish the senate campaign, citing senate costs $92.5 million to upkeep this year, in addition to $116 million in cumulative salaries.

What do you think of the salary gap in the PMO? Do we really need to pay 21 staffers $100,000 per year? Wouldn't $50,000 suffice? Do we need 91 staffers or can Harper practice his old principle of less government? Share this article and join the discussion and let us know what you think: Facebook, Twitter, Google+.