The House of Commons has explained that it had no alternative but to raise the salary of a Member of Parliament from New Brunswick, regardless of the MP’s preference. House clerk Eric Janse, in an affidavit submitted to the Federal Court, emphasized that all MPs are entitled to the specified payment amounts as outlined in legislation, and any deviation from this would be unlawful and inconvenient.
Miramichi-Grand Lake Conservative MP Mike Dawson had sought to block the $8,800 increment through a judicial review application filed in June. In response, Janse filed an affidavit last month stating that the House Administration is obligated by law to pay the applicant’s sessional allowance in accordance with the Parliament of Canada Act, including any applicable annual adjustments.
Granting Dawson the option to decline the raise would necessitate special administrative procedures solely for him to calculate and maintain a separate sessional allowance each year for the duration of his MP tenure. Last year, the base salary for MPs was $208,900, which increased to $217,700 on April 1, following federal legislation that indexes MP pay to private-sector salary escalation formulas.
Despite the raise, Dawson believes it is unethical to accept the additional $8,800 considering the financial challenges faced by many Canadians. Drawing on his experience as a business owner, he argued that deducting federal taxes from employee wages was a straightforward process and should not be overly complex.
Although Dawson has been donating his raise to charity, he feels he should be permitted to object to the raise entirely. House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia’s spokesperson, Olivier Duhaime, mentioned that Scarpaleggia and Janse are not available for interviews on the matter. Full legal arguments in the case are anticipated to be submitted within the next two months.
