The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says executive compensation within the federal government spiked by more than half a billion dollars since 2015.

According to information gleaned from an access request made by the federation, executive compensation across all federal departments and agencies rose by $570 million between 2015 and 2022.

Federal Director with the CTF, Franco Terrazzano says the number of employees receiving a six-figure annual salary more than doubled under the current federal government.

The number of federal executives meanwhile grew from 7,138 to 9,371—an increase of 31 per cent. “The first thing I had to ask” says Terrazzano, “is what did inflation do over that time period?” He says total executive compensation grew by 41 per cent, while inflation rose by less than 20 per cent.

Terrazzano says those figures are important given how ordinary Canadians are being squeezed by the rising cost of living.

“The last concern among Canadians is that government executives in Ottawa aren’t being paid enough.”