The House of Commons has stated that it was mandatory to increase the salary of a Member of Parliament from New Brunswick, regardless of the MP’s preference on the matter. In an official document submitted to the Federal Court, House clerk Eric Janse emphasized that all Parliament members must receive the stipulated payments as outlined in the legislation, highlighting that any deviation from this would be both unlawful and inconvenient.
Miramichi-Grand Lake Conservative MP Mike Dawson initiated legal action in June, seeking to block the $8,800 raise that Parliament intended to grant him. Responding to this, Janse submitted an affidavit last month, affirming that under the Parliament of Canada Act, it is obligatory for the applicant’s sessional allowance to be disbursed in accordance with the prescribed amount, inclusive of any annual adjustments.
Granting Dawson the option to refuse the raise would necessitate House personnel to undertake specific administrative tasks solely for Dawson, requiring the establishment and maintenance of a distinct calculation of his sessional allowance annually throughout his tenure as an MP. The base salary for MPs was $208,900 last year and increased to $217,700 as of April 1 this year, in line with federal regulations that index MP remuneration to private-sector wage increments.
While Dawson feels it is inappropriate to accept an $8,800 raise amidst financial challenges faced by many Canadians, he compared the simplicity of electronic payroll systems in deducting federal taxes to the complexity of halting a pay raise decision, expressing his discontent with the process. Despite donating his raise to charity, Dawson advocates for the ability to formally object to the raise altogether.
Spokesperson Olivier Duhaime, representing House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia, conveyed that neither Scarpaleggia nor Janse would provide comments on the case. It is anticipated that comprehensive legal arguments for the case will be submitted within the next two months.