With so many chiefs gathering at the legislature later today, it's a good opportunity for media to further investigate chiefs salaries and take organizations like the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) up on their commitment to transparency.

As I noted in a previous blog post (click here), chiefs seem to be getting pay not just from their communities, but from many different public sources - for example, AMC's 2011-12 Annual Report, shows a whole table of pay and travel information, but the numbers are blacked out beside each chief's name.

So what are the amounts? I don't know, but it's a good question for media to ask at "Idle No More" today - a rally at the legislture by chiefs calling for more money. 

To illustrate the 'web' of payments some chiefs seem to be making, I included a table showing possible revenue sources for Chief Glenn Hudson from Peguis. Since that time, more information has trickled in...so here is an updated table:

Chief Glenn Hudson's Pay and Travel Costs from Publicly Funded Bodies (2011-12)

TAX FREE: As income on reserves by aboriginal politicians is tax free, if one uses Ernst and Young's 2011 Personal Income Tax Calculator, you can see that $126,359 is equivalent to approximately $205,333 for someone living off reserve and paying taxes. 

TRAVEL: I've noted in the past that "travel" expenditures for some communities sometimes include pay for going on trips, plus a reimbursement for exmplenses like air fare, hotels, etc. It's easy to see how some northern chiefs have racked up big travel bills - after all, flying from the north costs a small fortune. However, considering Peguis is only a couple hours drive from Winnipeg, $105,338 seems like a huge number. Perhaps a portion of the travel total also includes pay?


A Comparison Premier Greg Selinger's Pay and Travel Costs

While Glenn Hudson represents about 3,400 people on reserve (approximately 9,400 including off reserve members), Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger represents about 1,274,096 people and also serves on many committees.

For example, the Premier regularly attends Western Premiers Conference meetings and meetings with western U.S. governors. He will also sit in on First Ministers meetings - an annual meeting of premiers across the country and often meets with officials from North Dakota, Minnesota and other states near Manitoba. However, he does not receive additional pay for those extra duties. He received about $141,508 in 2011-12 or approximately $63,825 less than Peguis Chief Glenn Hudson.

If you throw in travel expenses, the Premier's total tab in 2011-12 was quite small - only about $10,000. However, it was an election year so if you want a better picture of his annual travel expenses, look at 2010-11 and you'll find a total tab of about $35,000. Sure the premier lives in Winnipeg and can fly out of Winnipeg without having to worry about lodgings here or having to drive for two hours before flying, but one has to question the $70k gap between the two totals???