Wednesday, March 22, 1967

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: Mr. Speaker, I think this afternoon I would like to get down to the more serious business of debating the Throne Speech. There is always the temptation in this House to become side-tracked and to get involved in partisan considerations on varying subjects. I want to mention the question of salaries again, but I hope today that I will be able to set aside partisan considera- tions and leave a thought with this House with respect to salaries. Before getting into that subject however, Mr. Speaker, I am happy to inform this House that fol- lowing a meeting of the Cabinet today, and consultation with the Leader of the Opposition before the Session commenced, that the Leader of the Opposition has agreed to represent this Assembly at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Associa- tion Annual Conference in Uganda in the Fall of this year. (Applause) I suppose there will be those in the province who will accuse the government of trying to find ways and means of getting him out of the province and away from the political scene here, but I can assure you, Mr. Speaker, that all members of this House feel confident that he will be an able, a good representative of the province at this gath- ering and an able speaker when he has the occasion to rise to speak on behalf of the

, prfivince of Prince Edward Island at this very important Conference to be held this a .

Particularly during question period, if they should decide to have any.

I think that we have had during the last several years, and will continue to have for some time, a problem with salaries, with wages, with earnings throughout the whole field of remuneration in this province, and we are quite well aware, Mr. Speaker, of the spread which exists between wage earnings in the province of Prince Edward Island and those earned even in our sister provinces, let alone the province of Ontario, and the wealthy province of British Columbia. We must, therefore, make every effort to devise ways and means by which wages in the province and salaries in the province can be increased, and ways by which the gap between salaries and wages here and those existing elsewhere in Canada can be closed. We trust, Mr. Speaker, that the proposals contained in the Speech from the Throne as well as the outline which we propose to offer this House in the White Paper on economic develop- ment of the province will direct public monies in the right direction to effect this desirable result. The Leader of the Opposition has asked who is the co-ordinator, who s the consultant, who is the economic adviser, who is the executive assistant, and ho is the high-priced policymaker? Well if you forget the last one for a moment I ould say that he seems to be describing to me the Provincial Treasurer of this prow- nce, who is all these things to the Leader of the Government and his salary incidentally $5,000.00 a year. It could describe any Minister of the government who are co- rdinators and consultants, and advisers, and assistants, and policy-makers altogether. nd as you well know, Mr. Speaker, the taxpayers of this province are well served t $5,000 a year salary to their Minister.

Some Membc: Sure are.

Honourable Alexander D. Campbell: The salary paid to the Premier of Quebec ould pay the total cost of the Cabinet Ministers salaries here in Prince Edward sland. I am not presenting a brief here for higher salaries for Ministers, but I am uggeéting, Mr. Speaker, several facts which have become apparent to us on assum- g 0 ice.

There are several vacancies in the Department of Agriculture. Technical ex-

rta required by the Department in pursuit of their responsibilities for the farmers the province. We have been asked by the Minister and his officials to take into nsideration ways and means of filling the needs of that Department in extending hnical assistance to the farmer, and extending research facilities expanding them the province. What do we do? We need manpower. The experince of the previous overnment and the experience of this Government has been that when we go to Donald Agricultural College or elsewhere and speak with the young graduates d tell them that we have five or six thousand dollars to offer them by way of lary there is just no business done. Because industry is also looking for highly ucated professional people today and we find that we are competing with other rovinces, with the federa government, and industry in endeavouring to attract these ople into the service of government. There are Islanders whom we have contacted the last several months who are away making $16,000 and more a year with

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