The House of Commons has stated that it was mandatory to increase the salary of a Member of Parliament from New Brunswick, regardless of his acceptance of the adjustment. House clerk Eric Janse affirmed in a Federal Court affidavit that all MPs must receive the specified payments outlined in legislation, and any deviation from this would be against the law and inconvenient.
Miramichi-Grand Lake Conservative MP Mike Dawson sought a judicial review in Federal Court in June to prevent Parliament from granting him an additional $8,800 in salary. In response, Janse submitted an affidavit last month, emphasizing that the sessional allowance for the applicant must lawfully align with the amounts set by the Parliament of Canada Act, along with any relevant annual updates.
Granting Dawson the option to refuse the raise would necessitate House staff to undertake unique administrative tasks for him, involving the establishment and maintenance of a separate calculation of his sessional allowance annually for the duration of his term as an MP. The base salary for MPs was $208,900 last year, increasing to $217,700 as of April 1, in accordance with federal legislation that ties MP pay adjustments to private-sector salary increments.
Despite the salary increase, Dawson believes it is inappropriate to accept an $8,800 raise amid financial challenges faced by many Canadians. He compared the simplicity of electronic payroll processes in his business to the complexity of this situation, expressing that stopping a pay raise should be as straightforward as a click of a button. While he has been donating his raise to charity, Dawson advocates for the right to dissent from the raise entirely.
House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia’s spokesperson, Olivier Duhaime, confirmed that Scarpaleggia and Janse declined interview requests regarding the matter. Legal arguments for the case are anticipated to be submitted within the next two months.
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