Trudeaus’ nanny now a full-time employee

Raise brings position’s salary to about $45,000

OTTAWA— The nanny caring for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s kids has been given a fulltime salary and a slight pay increase compared with the reported hourly rate she was paid shortly after Trudeau took office in 2015.

An order in council issued earlier this week indicates Marian Pueyo’s annual pay has been set in a range that starts just below $40,000 and caps off at slightly more than $45,000.

It’s also retroactive to the beginning of April this year.

At its top range, the order works out to a rate of $21.79 per hour, assuming a 40-hour work week.

An order to hire Pueyo in November 2015 described her as a “special assistant,” and pegged her pay rate in a range from $15 to $20 per hour for working days and $11 to $13 per hour for night shift. Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Chantal Gagnon confirmed that Pueyo is now a full-time employee, and defended the pay increase.

Trudeau faced criticism that year from the opposition par- ties for having two nannies on the taxpayer’s dime to care for his three young children. Less than a year later, the prime minister ended the employment of one of the women with no explanation given for her termination.

The government’s decision to hire a nanny for the prime minister underscores the challenge that many other Canadian families are facing when it comes to proper child care, said NDP MP Niki Ashton.

“The NDP believes that all children should be well cared for, and that includes the prime minister’s family,” Ashton said in a statement.

“This shows the need for a national child-care strategy to ensure that all children receive safe and adequate care, regardless of their parents’ level of income.”

Conservative Party spokesperson Brock Harrison blasted the prime minister for asking taxpayers to pay for his nanny while Trudeau himself receives “a generous salary.

“During the campaign, Mr. Trudeau told Canadians rich families like his don’t need taxpayers to help with their child care,” Harrison said in an email.

“He should pay for his own nannies.”