The House of Commons has indicated that it was compelled to raise the salary of a Member of Parliament (MP) from New Brunswick, regardless of the MP’s desire to refuse the increase. In a sworn statement submitted to the Federal Court, House clerk Eric Janse asserted that all MPs must receive the stipulated amounts outlined in legislation, and any deviation from this would be unlawful and impractical.
Conservative MP Mike Dawson from Miramichi-Grand Lake had initiated legal action in June by filing for a judicial review in Federal Court in an attempt to block the $8,800 raise being awarded to him. In response, Janse submitted an affidavit last month stating, “The House Administration maintains that the applicant’s sessional allowance is legally mandated to be paid in accordance with the Parliament of Canada Act, including all relevant annual adjustments.”
Granting Dawson the option to decline the raise would necessitate House personnel to consistently carry out specific administrative procedures solely for Dawson to calculate and manage a separate sessional allowance annually for the duration of his term as an MP.
The base salary for MPs was $208,900 in the previous year and was increased to $217,700 as of April 1. According to federal regulations, MP salaries are linked to a formula based on private-sector salary increments.
Dawson has expressed his belief that accepting an $8,800 raise is inappropriate at a time when many Canadians are facing financial challenges due to the high cost of living. He highlighted his experience as a business owner, emphasizing that the process of deducting federal taxes from employees’ salaries is uncomplicated and should not pose any additional complexity.
Despite donating his raise to charitable causes, Dawson asserted that he should have the right to object to the raise entirely. Olivier Duhaime, a spokesperson for House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia, stated that neither Scarpaleggia nor Janse would be available for an interview regarding the matter. Full legal arguments for the case are anticipated to be submitted within the next two months.