Hundreds of members of Parliament (MPs) across Canada will see a pretty significant salary increase on Tuesday, April 1.
Nationwide, 338 MPs will get a pay rise on Tuesday. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), a Saskatchewan-founded advocacy group, stated that, on average, MPs earn $203,100 annually.
But starting April 1, MPs will earn $209,800, according to the Members’ Allowances and Services Manual published by the House of Commons. This means that MPs will take home an additional $6,700 this year.
An email from the House of Commons stated that the provisions of the Parliament of Canada Act (sections 55.1 and 67.1) mandate yearly adjustments to the allowance and salaries of MPs.
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“The sessional allowance and additional salaries are adjusted each year on April 1 based on the index of the average percentage increase in base-rate wages for a calendar year in Canada resulting from major settlements negotiated in the private sector,” stated a representative.
“This index is published by Employment and Social Development Canada within three months following the end of each calendar year.”
MPs far outearn the average Canadian.
In comparison, according to Dundas Life, Canadian workers take home an average of $67,282 annually.
And while the upcoming April 1 pay bump means that MPs will see a 3.2 per cent increase, on the same day, the federal hourly minimum wage is set to go up by 45 cents from $17.30 to $17.75, a 2.4 per cent increase.
Perhaps not surprisingly, most Canadians are against the MPs’ raise.
According to a Leger survey, 79 per cent (or eight in 10) of Canadians said they oppose the upcoming MPs’ salary increase.