Agree wholeheartedly with your last paragraph. There were two previous attempts at new pay system developments - one in the 70's and the other in the 90's. They  failed and were abandoned  before implementation - both under Liberal governments. Phoenix was developed under the Cons and implemented by the Liberals. In all three instances the political masters and senior management ignored the advice and experience of long time Compensation advisors and experts - relying instead on consultants and contractors who profited greatly from all of these initiatives.