The House of Commons has stated that it was obligated to increase the salary of a Member of Parliament from New Brunswick, regardless of his willingness to accept the raise. According to an affidavit submitted in Federal Court by House clerk Eric Janse, all MPs must receive the specified payment amounts outlined in legislation, and any deviation from this would be unlawful and inconvenient.
Miramichi-Grand Lake Conservative MP Mike Dawson had sought a judicial review in June to prevent Parliament from granting him an $8,800 raise. In response, Janse filed an affidavit last month affirming that the sessional allowance for the applicant 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 special administrative actions by House staff to calculate and maintain a separate sessional allowance for him annually throughout his term as an MP. The base salary for MPs was $208,900 last year, increasing to $217,700 on April 1, as per federal legislation that ties MP pay adjustments to private-sector salary increases.
Dawson has expressed his belief that accepting an $8,800 raise amid financial difficulties faced by many Canadians is unjust. Drawing on his experience as a business owner, he emphasized the simplicity of deducting federal taxes and suggested that declining the raise should not pose a significant challenge in the digital age.
While the first-term MP has been directing his raise to charitable causes, he advocates for the right to outright refuse the increase. Olivier Duhaime, a spokesperson for House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia, noted that neither Scarpaleggia nor Janse would provide comments on the matter, and full legal arguments in the case are anticipated to be submitted within the next two months.