The House of Commons has stated that it was necessary to increase the salary of a Member of Parliament from New Brunswick, regardless of his willingness to accept the raise. House clerk Eric Janse emphasized in a filed affidavit that all MPs must receive the specified amounts as mandated by legislation, and any deviation from this would be both illegal and impractical.
Miramichi-Grand Lake Conservative MP Mike Dawson had taken legal action in June to challenge the $8,800 raise, prompting Janse to respond with an affidavit last month. The House Administration maintained that the sessional allowance for Dawson must align with the amounts outlined in the Parliament of Canada Act, including any applicable annual adjustments.
Granting Dawson the option to decline the raise would necessitate special administrative efforts by House staff to individually calculate and manage his sessional allowance each year throughout his tenure as an MP. The base salary for MPs was $208,900 last year and increased to $217,700 on April 1, in accordance with federal legislation that indexes MP pay to private-sector salary increases.
Despite the raise, Dawson expressed reservations about accepting the additional $8,800, citing the financial challenges faced by many Canadians. Drawing from his experience as a business owner, he highlighted the simplicity of deducting federal taxes from employees’ pay and questioned the complexity of refusing a pay raise in the digital age.
While Dawson has chosen to donate his raise to charity, he believes he should have the right to outright reject the increase. House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia and Janse declined interview requests regarding the case, with spokesperson Olivier Duhaime indicating that comprehensive legal arguments are expected to be submitted within the next two months.