NDP calls on Minister Foote to defer paycheck until Phoenix is fixed

OTTAWA – NDP MPs Sheri Benson and Erin Weir are calling on the Public Services Minister, Judy Foote, to put her money where her mouth is, and defer her own salary until the Phoenix fiasco is fixed. The NDP is also calling for executive performance bonuses not be paid out.

“Perhaps, in solidarity with the employees who are not being paid, the Minister should defer her own salary until this debacle is finally fixed. It is a gesture that would signal that the Minister does indeed take this problem seriously. And I’m sure the affected employees would appreciate the Minister walking a mile in their shoes,” said Benson, the NDP’s Labour Critic. “We’ve also learned that Executives in charge of this fiasco will receive a bonus. This is unacceptable.”

In a few days, Members of Parliament will head home to their ridings and spend the holidays with their families and friends. But families who are affected by Phoenix have to look forward to more bills that they cannot pay, and more financial headaches down the road with inaccurate T-4s and tax assessments.

“In September the Minister said she was confident that the October 31st deadline to fix Phoenix was realistic, and that her department reassured her that it would be met. It’s now December 14, and the government still hasn’t provided a timeline to resolve the remaining 10,000 cases,” added Weir, the NDP’s Public Services Critic. “Executives are getting performance bonuses for a program that does not work, while some Canadians are unable to pay their mortgage. This Minister must prove that she takes this issue seriously, halt the bonuses, and defer her own salary until this Phoenix fiasco is fixed.”