In a tough economy, even provincial court judges have to share the pain, the sa国际传媒 Supreme Court said this week in upholding the government鈥檚 rejection of 鈥渦nfair and unreasonable鈥� pay increases for judges.
We applaud the high court for being in tune with the times, and urge all those who handle public money to participate in what the high court calls 鈥渟hared austerity,鈥� a process greatly aided by being open about expenditures.
The Speaker of the provincial legislature has moved significantly in that direction by revealing what was spent on sprucing up her office and other legislature facilities, and then explaining the expenses.
Judges are constitutionally prohibited from bargaining directly with the provincial government, so the Judges Compensation Commission makes recommendations to the legislature. In 2010, in light of the province鈥檚 net-zero mandate and expected deficits in 2011 and 2012, the commission recommended that the judges receive no pay increase until 2013. It suggested a cost-of-living increase in 2013-14 of about six per cent.
No thanks, said the cabinet.
While the compensation commission is set up to keep the issue of judges鈥� salaries a step away from the political process, the legislature is responsible for seeing that the public鈥檚 money is properly spent, and decided the commission鈥檚 recommendation was not in keeping with the current economic climate.
The Provincial Court Judges Association of sa国际传媒 asked the Supreme Court to review that response.
Justice John Savage said the province was justified in rejecting the pay raise. He said the theme of the high court鈥檚 65-page decision 鈥渋s one of temporary austerity in which members of the judiciary share some of the burdens of an adverse economic climate 鈥� after receiving significant increases in prior years.鈥�
Provincial court judges are not hard done by. Their annual salaries have risen from $161,250 in 2004 to $234,600 in 2013. The hard-working judges are the front line of the judicial system, but even without the recommended increase, they are generously compensated. Many British Columbians, who pay the judges鈥� salaries, will have to wait for better times to see pay increases; so must the judges. As Savage put it, 鈥渢he fiscal context requires shared austerity.鈥�
While most government departments deal with frozen or reduced budgets, Speaker Linda Reid, whose office manages the $70-million annual operating budget for the legislature, approved nearly $14,000 for new drapes in the legislature dining room, about $3,700 for recovering the chairs in Reid鈥檚 legislative office and another $2,700 for new drapes, and more than $48,000 for a custom touch-screen computer at the Speaker鈥檚 chair in the legislature.
But at least we know how much was spent and what it was spent for, a welcome development in the Speaker鈥檚 office, which oversees the operation of the legislature and has previously operated with little accountability.
Reid鈥檚 expenditures are almost negligible when compared to the entire provincial budget, but she鈥檚 right to justify them publicly. It鈥檚 important to maintain the legislature鈥檚 infrastructure and we shouldn鈥檛 tolerate threadbare carpets or worn drapes in the province鈥檚 capital building. The new computer helps Reid do her job better, and part of the cost was to ensure the console complemented the legislature鈥檚 heritage decor.
One problem with politicians spending our money is that they are so used to dealing with millions and billions, they don鈥檛 blink at spending a few thousand.
Reid鈥檚 promise of more oversight and greater transparency in legislature expenses is reassuring. When we know how politicians handle our thousands, we鈥檒l have a better idea of what they will do with our millions.
