Health and
Community Services
November 9, 2010
Minister Outlines Public's Right to Know Salary
Details of Salaried Physicians
The Honourable Jerome Kennedy, Minister of Health and Community
Services, today stated that it was within his right to release
information regarding salary details of salaried physicians.
"As the Minister of Health and Community Services, I believe that the
public has a right to know salary details related to salaried
physicians, paid from public tax dollars," said Minister Kennedy. "This
is a matter of significant public concern. Part of government's
responsibility is to ensure the public has access to complete and
accurate information to allow them to fully understand the nature of the
issue under discussion, in this case, the resignation of a number of
salaried specialists."
Minister Kennedy said the Privacy Commissioner has ruled in previous
decisions that the public has a right to know this type of information.
In an April 16, 2008 decision, the commissioner ruled that where
salaries and benefits are paid from the public purse, the public has a
right to know "not only the amounts to which an employee is entitled,
but, for example, the amounts of severance pay or reimbursements for
expenses actually received."
"This particular group of physicians made compensation a very public
issue and government has an obligation to ensure that the public has
full details," said Minister Kennedy.
The public nature of this kind of information is supported by its
routine public release in some other provinces. Both British Columbia
and Manitoba have legislation which requires them to disclose, on an
annual basis, salaries of physicians and other public servants.
Minister Kennedy also outlined the breakdown of 10 weeks of annual
leave for salaried specialists, as referenced yesterday. This breakdown
includes four weeks of annual leave, two weeks of study leave, one week
of compensatory leave, one week of miscellaneous leave and nine
statutory holidays.
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Media contact:
Tansy Mundon
Director of Communications
Department of Health and Community Services
709-729-1377, 685-2646
tansymundon@gov.nl.ca
2010 11 09 4:10 p.m.
