Conservative MP Mike Dawson said he is rejecting a 4.2 percent pay raise MPs are set to receive in April, citing the high cost of living that “everyday Canadians are struggling” with.
“At a time when everyday Canadians are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living, I cannot in good conscience accept the pay increase of nearly $10,000 which every Member of Parliament is set to receive,” Dawson, who represents the Miramichi—Grand Lake riding in New Brunswick, wrote on Feb. 10.
In his letter to Eric Janse, acting clerk of the House of Commons, Dawson said it was “distasteful” that all parliamentarians are set to receive a pay increase on April 1, while Canadians have not “seen a decent raise in decades.” Dawson said given his prior experience as a drywaller and contractor, “this is a topic which I know a thing or two about.”
“Therefore, please make the necessary arrangements with the payroll and benefits administration to ensure that this is done,” Dawson wrote.
All MPs will receive a salary increase on April 1, which legislation governing their pay states will be 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.”
Employment and Social Development Canada has not yet published the final indexed rate for 2025. Last year, backbench MPs saw their salaries increase from $203,100 to $209,800, while cabinet ministers, the speaker of the House, and the leader of the opposition saw their salaries rise from $299,900 to $309,700, and the prime minister saw his salary rise from $406,200 to $419,600.
Franco Terazzano, director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said that Dawson was a “hero” and a “true champion for taxpayers.”
