Madam Speaker, my question is for the Solicitor General.
One provision of the government's budget was to eliminate the incremental pay increases. While most people can accept this for senior employees and managers, in some areas it hits particularly hard.
One of the hardest hit groups will be the recent RCMP recruits who when they leave Regina are paid approximately $30,000.
Prior to this freeze incremental pay would see their salaries rise every six months, recognizing their training so that at the end of three years they would be making a first class constable's salary of approximately $50,000. With this budget the new recruits will be frozen at approximately $30,000 for two years.
Does the minister find it acceptable that this budget targets the low salaries of junior members of the RCMP as an area to save money?