The number of federal executives and their associated costs have surged under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration, according to new data and access-to-information records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF).As of 2024, there are 9,155 federal executives, a 42% increase from the 6,414 executives in 2016. The CTF criticized the dramatic expansion, citing the significant rise in costs tied to these high-level positions.“The government has ballooned the bureaucracy across the board, but even more concerning is that this government is swelling the ranks of its most expensive bureaucrats,” said Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director of the CTF. “Trudeau should go after the fat cats first and that means cutting back the size and cost of the federal c-suite.”Salaries for federal executives range from $134,827 to $255,607, and the total compensation for these positions reached $1.95 billion in 2022 — a 41% increase since 2015. During the same period, inflation in Canada rose by 19.4%, highlighting the disproportionate rise in executive pay compared to cost-of-living increases.In addition to salary hikes, about 90% of federal executives received annual bonuses. In 2022, the government paid out $202 million in bonuses, with the average executive receiving $18,252. Terrazzano questioned whether taxpayers were seeing the value of these expenditures.“Taxpayers are paying for more executives taking bigger salaries and bigger bonuses, but the government still can’t deliver good results,” said Terrazzano. “Can anyone in government explain why we’re paying so much for so little?”The increase in federal executives is part of broader growth in the public sector. Since Trudeau took office, the federal bureaucracy has grown by 42%, with over 108,000 new employees added to the payroll. Spending on federal bureaucrats hit a record $67.4 billion last year, marking a 68% increase since 2016.Despite the expansion in the workforce and spending, performance outcomes have lagged. Federal departments met just 50% of their performance targets in 2022-23, continuing a trend of underperformance, according to data from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. From 2018 to 2021, departments hit less than half of their annual targets.“Taxpayers are paying through the nose because everywhere you look, the size and cost of government is ballooning,” said Terrazzano. “If any politician is serious about fixing the budget and cutting taxes, they will have to shrink Ottawa’s bloated bureaucracy.”In addition to public sector growth, spending on consultants has also skyrocketed. Expenditures for consultants in 2023-24 have reached a record $21.6 billion.The combination of a growing federal bureaucracy, escalating executive compensation, and increased reliance on consultants has raised concerns about the sustainability and efficiency of government spending, as Canada faces rising debt and economic challenges.
The number of federal executives and their associated costs have surged under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration, according to new data and access-to-information records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF).As of 2024, there are 9,155 federal executives, a 42% increase from the 6,414 executives in 2016. The CTF criticized the dramatic expansion, citing the significant rise in costs tied to these high-level positions.“The government has ballooned the bureaucracy across the board, but even more concerning is that this government is swelling the ranks of its most expensive bureaucrats,” said Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director of the CTF. “Trudeau should go after the fat cats first and that means cutting back the size and cost of the federal c-suite.”Salaries for federal executives range from $134,827 to $255,607, and the total compensation for these positions reached $1.95 billion in 2022 — a 41% increase since 2015. During the same period, inflation in Canada rose by 19.4%, highlighting the disproportionate rise in executive pay compared to cost-of-living increases.In addition to salary hikes, about 90% of federal executives received annual bonuses. In 2022, the government paid out $202 million in bonuses, with the average executive receiving $18,252. Terrazzano questioned whether taxpayers were seeing the value of these expenditures.“Taxpayers are paying for more executives taking bigger salaries and bigger bonuses, but the government still can’t deliver good results,” said Terrazzano. “Can anyone in government explain why we’re paying so much for so little?”The increase in federal executives is part of broader growth in the public sector. Since Trudeau took office, the federal bureaucracy has grown by 42%, with over 108,000 new employees added to the payroll. Spending on federal bureaucrats hit a record $67.4 billion last year, marking a 68% increase since 2016.Despite the expansion in the workforce and spending, performance outcomes have lagged. Federal departments met just 50% of their performance targets in 2022-23, continuing a trend of underperformance, according to data from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. From 2018 to 2021, departments hit less than half of their annual targets.“Taxpayers are paying through the nose because everywhere you look, the size and cost of government is ballooning,” said Terrazzano. “If any politician is serious about fixing the budget and cutting taxes, they will have to shrink Ottawa’s bloated bureaucracy.”In addition to public sector growth, spending on consultants has also skyrocketed. Expenditures for consultants in 2023-24 have reached a record $21.6 billion.The combination of a growing federal bureaucracy, escalating executive compensation, and increased reliance on consultants has raised concerns about the sustainability and efficiency of government spending, as Canada faces rising debt and economic challenges.