South Island NDP MLAs Join Carole James in Donating Pay Raise to Mary Manning

VICTORIA - New Democrat MLAs Carole James, Maurine Karagianis, David Cubberley, and Rob Fleming announced today that they will be pooling contributions from their pay raises to support the Mary Manning Centre, a non-profit agency dedicated to treating child survivors of sexual abuse.
"The Mary Manning Centre has been pleading with this government for more funding," said James, whose constituency of Victoria-Beacon Hill includes the Mary Manning Centre. "Gordon Campbell and the Minister of Children and Family Development have refused to provide the $170,000 the Centre needs to keep three therapists on staff. Those therapists provide counseling for children who have survived sexual abuse and any cuts will lead to an unacceptable increase in the wait list. Hopefully our contribution will help keep these important services in place."

James challenged the Premier to explain how he can justify his 54-percent pay increase while at the same time refusing to fund programs that help children who have survived sexual abuse.

"Gordon Campbell needs to explain why British Columbians should give him a 54-percent raise while he watches therapists for children laid off because his government won't adequately fund the Mary Manning Centre," said James.

The Mary Manning Centre will prepare a new budget that takes into account the contributions from New Democrat MLAs. It is expected that donations from New Democrat MLAs and from other individuals will allow the Centre to retain one or more of the three therapists who were laid off earlier this year due to inadequate funding from the provincial government.

"There are so many people who have been hurt by six years of callous Campbell government policies which have perhaps hurt children the most," said Karagianis, the MLA for Esquimalt-Metchosin. "Even though the B.C. Liberals have refused to provide adequate funding for Mary Manning, they were more than happy to vote themselves a whopping pay raise. Hopefully this donation from New Democrat MLAs will help Mary Manning address part of the need created by B.C. Liberal cuts."

The New Democrat caucus voted against Bill 37, the Legislative Assembly (Members' Remuneration and Pensions) Statutes Amendment Act, which was brought into law by the Campbell Liberals on the last day of session. Every member of the New Democrat caucus has committed to donate the pay raise to charitable causes.

"We're calling on Ida Chong and Murray Coell to join us in donating some of their MLA pay raise to Mary Manning," said David Cubberley, MLA for Saanich South. "Now that they've heard from their constituents, they should donate part of their fat pay raise to help these kids and they should also pressure the Premier to increase the funding for Mary Manning."

As Ministers, Chong and Coell will see their salaries jump 28% to $147,000 a year under the new pay formula approved by the Campbell Liberals.

"The Campbell Liberals' pay raise is out-of-touch with the realities faced every day by ordinary British Columbians," said Fleming, the MLA for Victoria-Hillside. "Given that the Campbell government has refused to provide adequate funding for Mary Manning, the contributions of New Democrat MLAs will help provide counseling to children who might otherwise have to remain on a wait list."