The cost of changing government has proven higher than most realized. It's not just the new chairs for the legislature that will cost $130,000. Nor is it the $914,000 in severance payments for 17 former MLAs now without work. It's not even the $10,462 raise for MLAs that puts their base pay at $82,110. No, its the price of outgoing and newly appointed civil servants that has taxpayers crying, "Bah, humbug!"

Ministerial chiefs of staff made about $70,000 under the NDP government, but the Sask Party cranked up wages to between $85,000 and $120,000. Deputy Premier Ken Krawetz defended the wages to Canadian Press, saying, "'You have to pay' to attract people with experience, but the cost will be offset by having a smaller number of ministries and fewer staff."

Smaller cabinet aside, did getting the right talent really require raises of 21 to 71 percent

And why did Garnet Garven, the new deputy minister to the premier, get $29,000 more than his NDP predecessor Garven did not need $228,000 to be 'attracted' to the job. His whole career had been in Saskatchewan, and he could hope for no higher a role. Garven, dean of the University of Regina's School of Business when he was hired, had made a career in various leadership roles in Saskatchewan. In fact, he has probably known for the past five years the Sask Party wanted him for the role!

As columnist Murray Mandryk noted in the Leader-Post on November 20, the Saskatchewan Party wrote the "Thistle Project" on January 10, 2003, which stated how they would transition to government if they won the 2003 election. This document slated Garven to become deputy minister to the premier even back then. The Sask Party lost the 2003 election by two seats and Garven has been waiting to be the top civil servant ever since.

Garven has got his wish. Taxpayers hoping for a break on his wages did not.
We don't know what severance packages will be by the time Garven moves on, but they're already significantly better than they once were. When the NDP took power 16 years ago, the severance formula for civil servants capped payments for political staff to a maximum of four-and-a-half months of service. Today, the amount is twelve months.

As the NDP prepared to hand over the reigns of power, they fired 151 top staffers axed by the NDP in their dying days of government, and giving them $4.6 million in severance. Civil servants fired as the Sask Party settles into power will receive $4 million of their own. Don't cry for former civil servants looking for jobs this Christmas. After all, $8.6 million can buy a lot of turkey dinners. Merry Christmas taxpayers!