Men paid more than women in top Quebec government posts

Despite doing much of the same work, femalechiefs of staff in the Couillard government are paid less than their male colleagues, according to a documentobtained by The Canadian Press.

In 2016,the average salary for male chiefs of staff was $141,856. By comparison, women doing the same job were paid $124,653 a 12 per cent difference.

The Canadian Press found the wage gap after analyzing a table that disclosed salaries. The document was produced in March by the executive council for the2015-2016 fiscal yearand includedchanges in the cabinets of Martin Coiteux and Hlne David.

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Chief of staff is a strategic position and they act as advisors to ministers and the premier. At the moment there are 28 chiefs of staff, 15 men and 13 women.

Their salaries are determined by the minister who hired them, and in some cases the chief of staff of the premier.

Wage gap revealed

In 2016, according to salary rules, chiefs of staff can expect to earn between $110,000 and $145,941 a year.

Only eight chiefs of staff make more than$144,000 and they're all men.

On the other end of the scale, there arethree women and one man making the minimum $110,000.

In fact, the vast majority, 77 per cent, of women chiefs of staff earn $130,000 or less. Only 26 per cent of men are in the same category.

As an example, a male chief of staff working under Franois Blais, while he was education minister in Feb. 2015, was paid an annual salary of $144,000.

A year later, after a cabinet reshuffle, families minister Sbastien Proulx was given the education file. His female chief of staff, who had to take on more work, was only paid $125,000.

'Boys club'

A former chief of staff for the current government, who asked to remain anonymous, said she was surprised when she found out that her male predecessor made $15,000 more, despite doing all the same work.

She said that she had to knock on the door of the premier to ask to be brought up to the same level of pay. It was granted.

"It's a boy's club," she said, adding that women "do not have much room" when it comes to the decision making process.

She said she's left the world of politics after working for yearsin the cabinets of Jean Charest and Philippe Couillard.

The wage gap does not surprise Quebec'sCouncil on the Status of Women. They said that it matches the gap that is found outside of politics.

"Inequalities between women and men are always present," said spokeswoman Liliane Ct.

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