Photo: Jacques Boissinot archives La Presse canadienne Nathalie Roy a affirmé que 28 pupitres doubles installés après la construction de l’Assemblée nationale seront préservés dans le nouvel aménagement.
The deputies of the National Assembly studied on Tuesday the budget of the institution, which provides for an increase in expenses of 17 million dollars, and they also learned that they will have ergonomic chairs adapted to their height and weight once once the renovation work on the Blue Room is completed in 2026.
The budget forecasts show appropriations totaling $202 million for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. A year ago, for the 2023-2024 financial year, the deputies approved a budget including appropriations of 185 million.
During the financial year, the elected had already increased their budget by 4.4 million after the decision to increase their remuneration by 30%. An additional sum of 2.2 million also had to be injected during the period to increase the funds linked to the MPs' pension plan.
Tuesday, the President of the National Assembly, Nathalie Roy, explained that the variation for 2024-2025 is explained in particular by the addition of an additional sum of 4.6 million. This amount covers the enhancement of the Quebec pension plan, the compensation for the retirement plan of members of the National Assembly, the adjustment for the increase in the allowances of deputies and the increase in salary expenses of employees of the institution, as the renewal of their collective agreements approaches.
“It is the Secretariat of the Treasury Board which tells us: “National Assembly, you should increase by so much so, taking into account the collective agreements which have expired and the salary increases which are coming”. So it’s not a frivolity,” she said.
The budget also provides for infrastructure investments of 19.7 million, compared to 16.3 million last year. “These are, largely, largely, the work that we have to do here, the Blue Room, the Red Room, and IT that will come in here too,” explained Ms. Roy.
The amount of work for the renovations of the Salon bleu will not be disclosed before the contracts are awarded. “For the moment, the data concerning these authorizations remains confidential so as not to harm the tender process,” declared the President of the National Assembly.
Desks and armchairs
Ms. Roy affirmed that 28 double desks installed after the construction of the National Assembly will be preserved in the new layout . The others will be made from the same walnut wood. “They won’t be pastiches, they won’t be copies,” she explained.
The current chairs will all be replaced, because they were not original and damaged the desks. “They are neither heritage, nor comfortable, nor made to go with these desks, because they break them,” said the president.
Ergonomic chairs will be rather made available to MPs. “There will be modern and ergonomic chairs so that you are comfortable, adapted to the height and weight of each person, because I have been given comments in this regard,” Ms. Roy told her colleagues.