The House of Commons stated that the salary increase for a Member of Parliament from New Brunswick was unavoidable, regardless of the MP’s preference. According to House clerk Eric Janse’s affidavit in Federal Court, MPs are legally entitled to receive the specified amounts outlined in legislation, making any deviation illegal and impractical.
Miramichi-Grand Lake Conservative MP Mike Dawson sought a judicial review in June to prevent Parliament from granting him an $8,800 raise. In response, Janse submitted an affidavit last month asserting that the sessional allowance for the applicant had to adhere to the amounts mandated by the Parliament of Canada Act, including annual adjustments.
Granting Dawson the option to decline the raise would necessitate special administrative procedures exclusively tailored for him to calculate and maintain a separate sessional allowance each year for the duration of his tenure as an MP. Last year, the base salary for MPs was $208,900 and increased to $217,700 on April 1 in accordance with federal legislation linking MP pay to private-sector salary growth.
Despite the raise, Dawson expressed reservations about accepting the additional $8,800 at a time when many Canadians are facing financial challenges. Drawing on his experience as a business owner, Dawson emphasized the simplicity of deducting federal taxes from employees’ pay and argued that refusing the raise should be straightforward given the electronic nature of payment processing.
Although Dawson has chosen to donate his raise to charity, he believes he should have the right to oppose the raise entirely. House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia’s spokesperson, Olivier Duhaime, mentioned that neither Scarpaleggia nor Janse would provide comments on the case. Further legal arguments in the matter are anticipated to be submitted within the next two months.