The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the government of Manitoba to cut spending on government salaries after it was discovered the province’s sunshine list has more than doubled since 2020.

“Taxpayers can’t afford to keep bankrolling this ballooning government wage bill,” said Gage Haubrich, CTF Prairie Director. “The government must find savings to pay down debt and it should start by trimming its massive payroll.”

The province of Manitoba’s 2024 sunshine list shows 30,675 government employees being paid more than $100,000 annually, according to recently released data.

That’s a 149 per cent increase compared to 2020.

The average Manitoban earns about $61,346 per year.

Paying employees is the government’s largest expense. The government spent $1.8 billion more paying employees in 2024 compared to 2020. Paying employees made up about 42 percent of the government’s entire budget last year.

Government employees earn an average of 4.8 per cent more than those who work in the private sector. Manitoba government employees also retire 2.3 years earlier and have stronger job security than average Manitobans.

The government is increasing the provincial debt to $37.4 billion by the end of this year. Debt interest payments are costing taxpayers $2.3 billion this year, or about $1,550 per person.

“It’s impossible to balance the budget and pay down debt while handing out tens of thousands of six-figure salaries every year,” Haubrich said. “Premier Wab Kinew needs to stop handing out huge wages while normal Manitobans who pay for these employees are having trouble buying the necessities.”

The sunshine list calculations can be found HERE.