Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a) of the question, the Privy Council Office, PCO, responds that the staff hired to care for the children at the Prime Minister’s residence are paid in accordance with the Orders in Council dated November 26, 2015 through which they were hired. The staff members are paid salaries which are within the range of $15.00 to $20.00 per hour for work during the day and within the range of the hourly rate of $11.00 to $13.00 for night shifts. For the period from November 4, 2015 to March 9, 2016, the combined salary paid to the caregivers was $30,850.99.
With regard to part (b) of the question, the caregivers are staff within the Prime Minister’s residence; therefore, the terms and conditions of their employment is governed by the Treasury Board Secretariat policies for minister’s offices. As per section 3.5 of the policy, the staff members are entitled to three weeks per year of paid vacation leave in addition to statutory holidays. As exempt ministerial staff, they are not entitled to overtime. The staff members are also eligible for coverage under the public service health care plan and the public service dental care plan. As well, they contribute to the public service superannuation plan.
With regard to parts (c) and (f) of the question, PCO has incurred no costs regarding meals, per diems, or living accommodations for caregivers employed by the Prime Minister.
With regard to parts (d) and (e) of the question, PCO does not have a budget for the domestic or international travel of the caregivers employed by the Prime Minister.