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NORTH RICHMOND HILL Licensed Under Liquor Licence Act 884-4278 Internationally Known TAVERN ‘Classical Italian’ Dishes prepared upon reservation Yonge St. - 1 Mile North of Richmond Hill 884-1370 POP'S TAVERN SUMMIT VIEW GARDENS TAVERN 9:33" 9%! DIVERSIFIED MENU Where You Dine In A Congenial Atmosphere LICENSED UNDER. THE LIQUOR LICENCE ACT For Information 884-2752 194 YONGE ST. N. RICHMOND HILL and STEAKS With the added feature of Are A Feature At iRoberts Wants Pay iRaise Federal MP3 mu1mm“uumuuuunmmumunmuul1lmuuuuummuuml\nnmuumuumunlmmmunulumm|\umlmmmumuuuumummm mum“ummuuuulumummum“ImImunumuumm“nunmmumnImnummnumuummInmm“mum“!unmumumuummu One old political adage â€" and a good one -â€" is never go out of your way to look for trouble. This week I am going to throw caution to the winds. I am going to talk about MP’s salaries. Nothing seems more likely to prompt a deep sense of outrage on the part of the public. Often I have the impression that voters regard MPs as a rapacious. bunch of bandits unconcerned about the lush life they live at the taxpayer's expense. And yet many of the mem- bers live a life which could only be described as genteel poverty, (also a surprisingly large number, perhaps 10% are millionaires). Over the years, federal members’ salaries have become a football for almost every journalist in the country. Governments and MPs have become so sensitive to the mishmash of misinformation that they seldom have been willing to disouss the matter in the open way that it deserves. I believe that MPs have an obligation to explain the facts and let con- stituents judge for themselves. This I intend to do, and I would appreciate hearing your views. Now this sounds like a big income but as any farmer or businessman knows, it is not the gross amount of money you take in, it is the net after expenses which is important. And speaking of expenses it should be pointed out that the cost of living in Ottawa is the biggest in Canada. There is also no travel cost paid for overnight accommoda- tion while going to the riding, for meals, travel within the riding, long distance charges within the riding, or telegrams; or is there any travel cost paid for an MP’s wife, nor for any other member of his The truth is that for one of the top jobs in the country, Members of Parliament are at a level com~ parable to that of the junior levels of the civil service, the armed forces, and well below the salary levels paid in industry. Most MPs were highly successful people in their own occupations and have taken sizeable reductions to serve in Parliament. Costs rise for the 264 members, the same as they do for everyone in society, but since 1962 there has been no change in members’ incomes, and there are very few occupations that have not had some very substantial increases in that length of time. The civil service for instance has seen salaries rise 6% a year, or 42% in that period of time. The most common complaint about changes in MP’s salaries is that MPs raise their own salaries. Unfortunately, there is now no other way to do it. There is no higher authority in Canada than the Parliament of Canada, so there is no way of the members avoiding this responsibility. There have been suggestions that an independent commission make recommendations, and tie the MP’s salary level to that of the civil service. I believe this would be a good idea. My costs are not as high as those of most MPs â€"-and yet they mount up. Parking rental at Malton Airport is $60 per month; taxis to and from the airport in Ottawa add another $40 per month; tele- phone answering service, long distance telephOne calls, extra postage amount close to $100 a month. Rental of an apartment costs close to $1,500 a year. Almost all meals in Ottawa are restaurant meals. Charitable contributions, entertainment, and other incidentals have a way of skyrocketing. In any case, an MP’s costs can reach amazingly high sums. The worst example is that of the North West Territories riding, which is an area of several million square miles, larger than most countries in the world, and it must be travelled by one MP at his own expense. No differentiation is made in expenses between large and small ridings, nor between western members living three thousand miles away and eastern members living near Ottawa. Whether or not the member’s family accomp- anies him to Ottawa (and most do nowadays, be- cause of the long sessions) a. member must maintain two sets of hOusing. The $6,000 expense allowance is therefore adequate in some ridings, but falls far short of the actual costs in most, particularly those which are a great distance from Ottawa. The $6,000 tax free a member receives, there- fore, is not a bonus. It corresponds to legitimate expenses that a businessman, farmer, or company employer would never calculate as part of his income. Perhaps it was unwise to set the sum at an arbitrary figure â€" but that figure is certainly below our realistic honest operating expenses. A member’s salary is $12,000 a. year, and in addition to this he is paid $6,000 for out-of-pocket expenses. A member is allowed the cost of his air travel from Ottawa to his constituency once a Week. family. Of course the government is extremely con- cerned about inflation and unwilling to risk the psychological consequences of a rise in MP’s sal- aries â€" even though the federal members are now far behind the salary level of Quebec provincial members and, in some ways, worse off than the Ontario members. No one likes the fixed expense allowance which is arbitrary (and contrary to the recommendation of the taxation White Paper) and misunderstood by much of the public. The situation would be clearer if members were paid a. straight salary and accounted for their individual expenses. Some people say that salaries should be dis- cussed at election time; that members accepted the job knowing the salary levels and should not expect a change without campaigning on the issue. The weakness in this argument is that members may know the salary but most members, certainly new ones, have no idea of the size of the expenses. Of course, anyone who takes a job knows his starting salary; but no one thinks this is an adequate reason for him to stay at that level. Some people argue that old age pension, veteran’s allowances, and civil service should be raised before MP’s salaries. The majority of mem- bers feel that the two things bear no relation to one another; and that while both are important, compar- ing them is about as sensible as comparing apples and shovels. They contend that the salary of a working man is not, in any other area of the econ- omy, compared to or geared to the amounts received by pension recipients, and that the two areas must be kept separate and treated separately. By JOHN ROBERTS, MP YORK SIMCOE ALPHA-GETTII % DEL MONTE FANCY CUT GREEN OR SEA ASST'D PEAS Roasting Chickens FEATURE VALUE! PEPSODENT FLUORIDE TOOTH PASTE Values effective in I & Newmarket until Feb. 14, 1970. . . . V right to lin Dow. a COLUMBIA ENCYCLOPEDIA WE”EEE"§“’ Ti? 59: EEWI’Z‘E‘B "FI‘AM $.25; WE'RE“ lb. 59c YKTA‘BT‘SEWESWB Lb ii DEL MONTE FANCY CUT GREEN OR SEASONED WAX BEANS, CREAM STYLE CORN OR BRIGHT’S FANCY LIBBY SPAGHETTI IN TOMATO SAUCE 0R TOMATO JUICE “12f.”- 27c THE LIBERAL, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Thursday, Feb. 12. 1970 9|" Values effective in Richmond Hill & Newmarket until closing Sat, Feb. 14, 1970. . . . We reserve the A right to limit quantities. CHOCOLATE CHIP REAM STYLE CORN OR 14 Oz. 8 9c Tins DOMINION