The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the government of Manitoba to rein in its spending on bureaucrat salaries and wages following the recent release of the government’s 2023 sunshine list.

“Taxpayers can’t afford to keep bankrolling this ballooning government wage bill,” said Gage Haubrich, Prairie Director of the CTF. “Taxpayers are tightening their belts, it’s time for the government to find savings and do the same.”

In 2023, 22,496 government sector employees made more than $100,000, according to recently released sunshine list data. That’s an 83 per cent increase compared to 2020.

Paying employees is the largest expense in the government’s budget. The government spent $1.1 billion more paying employees in 2023 than in 2020.

Kinew’s government has hired about 694 more employees, costing $39.8 million annually, since being elected.

The average government employee earns 8.5 per cent more than those who work in the private sector. Manitoba government employees also retire 2.1 years earlier and are less likely to lose their job compared to average Manitobans.

The Manitoba government projects a deficit of almost $800 million this year. By the end of the year, government debt will reach about $34 billion. Interest payments on the debt will cost $2.2 billion.

“Premier Wab Kinew needs to stop handing out huge wages while normal Manitoba families are having trouble buying the necessities,” Haubrich said. “The government needs to find savings and balance the budget, not spend taxpayer money on more six-figure salaries.”

The sunshine list calculations can be found HERE.