The House of Commons has stated that it was necessary to increase the salary of a Member of Parliament (MP) from New Brunswick, regardless of his willingness to accept the raise. House clerk Eric Janse, in an affidavit submitted to the Federal Court, emphasized that all MPs are legally entitled to receive the specified amounts as outlined in legislation, and any deviation from this would be unlawful and problematic. Miramichi-Grand Lake Conservative MP Mike Dawson had filed a judicial review application in June to challenge the $8,800 raise, prompting Janse to respond with an affidavit last month.
According to Janse, the House Administration maintains that the sessional allowance for the applicant must be paid in accordance with the amounts prescribed by the Parliament of Canada Act, including applicable annual adjustments. Granting Dawson the option to decline the raise would necessitate special administrative actions by House staff to calculate and maintain a separate sessional allowance for him each year throughout his term as an MP.
The base salary for MPs was $208,900 last year and increased to $217,700 on April 1, in line with federal legislation that ties MP remuneration to a formula based on private-sector salary increments. Despite this, Dawson believes it is inappropriate to accept the raise considering the financial challenges faced by many Canadians. He pointed out that as a business owner, deducting federal taxes from employees’ pay is a straightforward process and should not be overly complicated.
Dawson, who has been redirecting his raise to charitable causes, expressed his desire to have the option to object to the raise entirely. House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia’s spokesperson, Olivier Duhaime, mentioned that neither Scarpaleggia nor Janse would provide interviews on the matter and that comprehensive legal arguments are anticipated to be submitted within the next two months.