The House of Commons stated that it was mandatory to increase the salary of a Member of Parliament from New Brunswick, regardless of the MP’s preference. House clerk Eric Janse emphasized in a filed affidavit in Federal Court that all MPs must receive the stipulated payments as outlined in legislation, avoiding any deviations from the prescribed amounts.
Miramichi-Grand Lake Conservative MP Mike Dawson had submitted a judicial review application in Federal Court in June to challenge the $8,800 raise granted by Parliament. In response, Janse presented an affidavit last month reiterating that the sessional allowance for MPs must 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 specific administrative actions by House staff solely for Dawson to maintain a separate calculation of his sessional allowance each year for his duration as an MP.
The base salary for MPs was $208,900 the previous year, which increased to $217,700 on April 1. According to federal regulations, MP salaries are linked to a formula based on private-sector salary increments.
Dawson expressed his opposition to accepting the $8,800 raise, citing the financial challenges faced by many Canadians. He emphasized the simplicity of electronic processes for tax deductions in businesses and suggested that declining a pay raise should be equally straightforward.
Although Dawson has been donating his raise to charity, he believes he should have the right to object to the raise entirely. House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia’s spokesperson, Olivier Duhaime, indicated that full legal arguments for the case are anticipated to be submitted within the next two months.