The BC Conservative party says they have crunched the numbers and discovered bc taxpayers paid a massive bill for saying goodbye to government staffers.
John Cummins says in severance payments to government staff alone taxpayers are on the hook for over $ 62 million over the last seven years.
Cummins says under Premier Christy Clark almost $ 6 million in severance was paid out over the last fiscal year.
He says that doesn’t include two and half million in severance in March of last year for changes to the premiers office.
“A lot of these payouts are going to communications people you know there has been 11 communications directors that have been quit or have been fired by the Clark administration since she became Premier last spring that includes like three press secretaries, two communications directors, and three deputy ministers in charge of government communications like that is a staggering number of people.”
Cummins says while there might be legal obligations at play some of the severance payouts are mind boggling.
“Former deputy minister Allan Seckel was paid 550-thousand dollars when he lost his job, Martin Brown was paid over 400-thousand dollars when he was shunted aside, outrageously Paul Taylor who is a former chief of staff recieved a 114-thousand dollars and he had only been on the job for five months.”
Finance Minister Kevin Falcon says there are no surprises when it comes to severance dollars paid out by the government.
Falcon says the government is legally bound to pay staff severance as required under law.
“Well that is less than nine million a year for a public service of well over 30-thousand employees I think what is important to recognize is that back in 2002 we reduced severance payment requirements from two years to eighteen months and it is lower for those that have been in the civil service for less than five years we have got public disclosure of all that information so that the public, including the conservatives, are fully aware of what our costs are.”
When asked if something could be done to mitigate severance for instance when it comes to communications staff shuffled in and out of the premier’s office Falcon said.
“That means we have to watch everything we do and every Minister including the Premier is responsible for watching all of the costs and of course they are accountable for all of the costs and that is why we have transparent reporting out that makes sure that everybody and the public is aware of what the costs of government are so that Ministers and government are held accountable as we should be.”
Falcon says contrary to the what the BC Tories would have everyone believe the province runs a tight ship.
“There is certainly some irony over the fact that John Cummins is making this criticism I mean he served as a federal MP for 17 years the federal government has far more generous severance provisions than we have in the province and he mever made a peep about that for 17 years.”
The premier’s office is disputing John Cummins facts.
They say only four communications directors and a press secretary, Chris Olson, have recieved severance.
They say others have moved on within government and two left completely with no severance doled out at all.
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