OTTAWA— Liberal critic for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Atlantic Gateway, and Member of Parliament for Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, Gerry Byrne, today denounced the appointment of several former Conservatives to high-paying government jobs in the face of massive cuts to federal positions in Atlantic Canada.
“Canadians are concerned about fairness when they see defeated Conservative candidates and party organizers appointed to key government posts,” said Mr. Byrne. “In Sydney—Victoria, Cecil Clarke picked up a government job worth $135,000 a year. In Labrador, Conservative campaign manager Reginald Bowers was appointed to the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board. And now we have the appointment of former Tory candidate and former staffer to Peter MacKay, Kevin MacAdam.”
Mr. MacAdam was appointed to a director general’s post at ACOA in Prince Edward Island on December 24, 2010, and qualifies for an annual salary of up to $135,800. In the press release announcing his appointment, the Conservatives said Mr. MacAdam would immediately start French language training, which he is still undergoing in Ottawa. The cost to provide an employee with language training of this type is in the area of $8,200.
“While ACOA is cutting jobs in Atlantic Canada, we have former Conservatives landing high-paying government jobs,” said Mr. Byrne. “Employees and their families are facing real hardship, but that is something that Peter MacKay and his Pete-ronage appointments seem to know nothing about.”
