In response to a December 20 column by Winnipeg Free Press columnist Mia Rabson, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation submitted the opinion editorial below for publication in their paper.

We remain optimistic the Winnipeg Free Press will decide to run the column, but if they decide not to it is here for your reading pleasure...

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Some insight into reserve politicians’ pay

Further to Mia Rabson’s column “Chiefs’ pay a distraction from the real aboriginal issues,”, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) would like to note a couple points about the data the federal government released and the issue in general.

Although Ms. Rabson’s column indicated the average chiefs’ salary was “just more than $42,000,” the average is actually $56,931 for the year in question (2008-09). As that is tax free, for someone off-reserve, it works out to approximately $80,000.

The manner in which the data was disclosed by federal bureaucrats confused many at first glance, so we’re not criticising Ms. Rabson’s calculation. Anyone who wishes to see the data for themselves may do so on our web site – www.Taxpayer.com.

Regardless, the $56,931 tax free figure still does not tell the whole story. In addition to salaries, reserve chiefs and councillors often receive “honorariums,” “other remuneration” and payment for travelling.

While most Manitoba chiefs did not receive “other remuneration,” 17 did in 2008-09. The amounts ranged from $500 - $106,414; tax free.

The 100+ pages of federal data for reserve politicians pay, includes a “travel/per diem” figure for almost every reserve politician in Canada. Depending on the reserve, this figure represents one of three things; a flat pay amount for travel, a reimbursement for travel expenses or a combination of the two.

In Manitoba, the average chief received $27,304 in the “travel/per diem” column in 2008-09. The amounts ranged from $0-68,060. Further, the data also showed the average Manitoba reserve has a population of about 1,279 people.

By contrast, Winnipeg’s Mayor Katz and his entire staff expensed a total of $8,145.48 in travel expenses for 2008.

Despite all the data released by the feds, the salary picture is still incomplete.

Many band members and the federal government have noted that in addition to the pay categories mentioned above, reserve politicians often receive additional pay for representing their communities on tribal councils and regional chiefs’ organizations such as the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. Details on such payments have not been released to the public.

The bottom line is that grassroots band members, and taxpayers who largely fund the salaries, should not have to go on a wild goose chase to try and figure out how much each reserve politician earns.

But that’s the problem. Current privacy laws prevent the government from releasing reserve politicians’ names along with the salary data.

That is why the CTF has been pushing for bill C-575; legislation being debated in Ottawa right now that would put the names and salaries of every reserve politician in Canada on the internet.

It would especially help band members who routinely get ostracized for asking questions about how band funds are being spent. Placing the data on the internet will allow them to view the information anonymously and subsequently decide if they feel the amounts are warranted or not.

The bill would also help reserve chiefs who are busting their butts, delivering positive results and taking home modest pay amounts; transparency would remove the dark cloud of suspicion from their names.

Hopefully, if we collect enough petition signatures, opposition parties will change their minds and support the legislation.

While it is encouraging that the national organization of chiefs passed a motion supporting greater transparency for reserve politicians’ salaries, the problem is reserve politicians are already required to disclose the information, but many fail to do so.

As Onkwehonwe Okwarakon, an Aboriginal Peoples Television Network viewer recently noted “most financial statements I have seen from a Band Council, parts of it are missing.”

What sometimes gets lost in the discussion about the CTF’s push for transparency of reserve politicians’ pay is that the impetus for the investigation came from grassroots band members themselves.

Yes, grassroots band members are like people living off reserves – they also want to know what their politicians are doing with public funds.

When the CTF investigates any aspect of politicians’ pay and expenses (on or off reserve) inevitably someone urges us to focus on bigger picture spending matters, noting that politicians’ pay and expenses represent a small fraction of total government spending.

However, if a politician appears to be more interested in their pay cheque and putting through questionable expenditures, how responsible would you expect them to be with an overall budget?

What transparency will do is help people living on reserves weed out the good apples from the band ones. It will also help taxpayers learn more about how funds are being spent on reserves.