Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies MP Bob Zimmer has joined the ranks of MPs and federal party leaders donating their legislated pay raise, which came into effect on Wednesday.
Salaries of MPs and senators increase on April 1 each year, under legislation passed in 2005 to de-politicize parliamentarians pay. The increase is based on the average increase negotiated by major bargaining units in the private sector, and this year MPs are entitled to a 2.1 per cent increase – boosting their base annual salary by roughly $3,700 to $182,656.
“While individual Members of Parliament cannot stop the pay raise from going forward, we can decide what to do with the money we receive," Zimmer said in a statement release on Wednesday. “I know people throughout the region are hurting right now which is why I am donating any increase I receive to a local church that is helping out our community during this difficult time. I will continue to support local charities as I always have.”
Senators are paid $25,000 less than MPs under the 2005 legislation, and will see their salaries rise 2.4 per cent to $157,656 per year. The prime minister, leader of the opposition, Speakers in the House of Commons and Senate, and others with additional duties receive additional amounts on top of their base salary.
During the financial crisis in 2008, the former government of Stephen Harper suspended MP pay raised for three years, Zimmer said.
"Since first being elected in 2011, I have never voted for a pay raise," Zimmer's statement said. “It is up to the government to bring forward legislation to make changes to the annual increase, should they do so when the House of Commons resumes sitting again."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative leader Andrew Scheer have both promised to donate their pay increases to charities in their respective ridings. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh also plans to increase his charitable donations during the year, an NDP spokesperson said.
"I haven't heard the Parliament of Canada having those discussions, but I'm sure they will reflect on it now that you've asked the question," Trudeau told The Canadian Press on Monday, when asked about a possible MP pay freeze.
Legislation to freeze MP salaries would require recalling Parliament, Trudeau added. The House of Commons has been adjourned since mid-March, except for a brief sitting last week to pass emergency legislation to address the COVID-19 crisis.
It will likely stay adjourned long beyond the originally scheduled return date of April 20, although another emergency sitting could eventually be required, at which point MPs could also consider a pay freeze.
Conservatives have called for the pay increase to be cancelled, and for Trudeau cancel the the increase in the federal carbon tax which came into effect on Wednesday.
"Too many Canadians are already worried about how they will pay their rent this month or put food on their tables. The last thing they need is a 50 per cent increase to the Liberal carbon tax, which will only increase the cost of gas, groceries and home heating," Edmonton Conservative MP Tim Uppal said.
However, Trudeau noted that the federal government is also paying rebates that are intended to give Canadians more money than they pay in the carbon tax.
"The price on pollution has been designed as to put more money in household pockets, more money in the pockets of the middle class while we do the things that are necessary to fight pollution and protect our planet," Trudeau said Monday.
In British Columbia, the Legislative Assemble management community voted unanimously on Tuesday in favour of cancelling planned raises for MLAs for a year. The legislated raised would have amounted to approximately $2,500 per year and would have come into effect on Wednesday.
— With files from Joan Bryden of The Canadian Press
