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 personal preference on the matter. According to House clerk Eric Janse’s affidavit filed in Federal Court, all MPs must receive the specified amounts as outlined in legislation, and any deviation from this would be both illegal and impractical.

Conservative MP Mike Dawson from Miramichi-Grand Lake had filed an application for judicial review in June to prevent Parliament from giving him an $8,800 raise. In response to this, Janse submitted 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 entail additional administrative burdens for House staff to maintain a separate calculation of his sessional allowance every year as long as he remains an MP. The base salary for MPs was $208,900 last year and increased to $217,700 on April 1, in line with federal legislation that links MP pay adjustments to private-sector salary increases.

Despite the raise, Dawson believes it is morally incorrect to accept the additional $8,800 when many Canadians are facing financial challenges. He compared the simplicity of electronic pay processes to the complexity of stopping a pay raise, expressing his frustration at the situation. Although Dawson has been donating his raise to charity, he advocates for the right to voice his objection to the raise entirely.

House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia’s spokesperson, Olivier Duhaime, mentioned that neither Scarpaleggia nor Janse would provide comments on the case, and full legal arguments are expected to be presented within the next two months.