The House of Commons has stated that the increase in a New Brunswick MP’s salary was mandatory according to legislation, regardless of the MP’s preference. House clerk Eric Janse submitted an affidavit in Federal Court emphasizing that all Members of Parliament must receive the salaries outlined in the law, and any deviation would be unlawful and impractical.
Miramichi-Grand Lake Conservative MP Mike Dawson had filed for a judicial review in June to challenge the $8,800 raise set to be awarded to him by Parliament. In response, Janse filed an affidavit last month affirming that the sessional allowance for Dawson must be paid in accordance with the amounts specified in the Parliament of Canada Act, including adjustments.
Granting Dawson the option to decline the raise would necessitate specific administrative actions by House staff to manage a separate calculation of his sessional allowance annually. The base salary for MPs was $208,900 last year and increased to $217,700 on April 1, following a formula tied to private-sector salary increments as per federal laws.
Dawson expressed his belief that accepting the raise, given the financial challenges faced by many Canadians, was inappropriate. He compared the simplicity of deducting federal taxes from employees’ pay in his business to the ease of halting the pay raise process electronically. While Dawson has been donating his raise to charity, he argued that he should have the right to object to it entirely.
The MP’s stance has led to a situation where House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia and Janse declined interviews on the matter, with further legal arguments expected to be submitted within the next two months.
