The National Assembly increases its budget by $4.4 million to pay deputies

Jacques Boissinot The Canadian Press Assembly credits national funds were increased to $189.9 million, which will allow the institution to complete the current financial year.

The National Assembly recently increased its budget by $4.4 million to pay MPs their remuneration, which was controversially increased by 30% in June.

In a decision adopted on October 19, the deputies members of the Bureau of the National Assembly (BAN) approved an increase in the institution's appropriations.

According to the document, this budget modification is the consequence of the adoption by deputies, last spring, of a law which increases their remuneration by 30%.

“To ensure the implementation of this law during the current financial year, sums additional amounts of $4,356,979 are required,” states NAO decision number 2293.

The National Assembly's appropriations were thus increased to $189.9 million, which will allow it to complete the current financial year, which ends on March 31.

Before adoption of the Act following up on the recommendations of the Independent Advisory Committee on the review of the annual compensation of members of the National Assembly, the budget of the institution was set at $185.6 million in April 2023.

The BAN is the equivalent of the board of directors of the National Assembly. All political parties are represented there, by full members or as observers. Its work is led by the President of the National Assembly, Nathalie Roy.

Québec solidaire (QS) voted against the budget increase, spokesperson Stéphanie Guèvremont said on Wednesday. The Parti Québécois has observer status at the BAN. In June, members of the Coalition Avenir Québec and the Liberal Party of Quebec decided to accept the entire increase. A spokesperson for the liberal party affirmed that the BAN discussions were private.

Controversial increase

 

The increase adopted in June by elected officials was increases their base compensation from $101,561 to $131,766. To this sum are added other allowances, determined according to the functions exercised by parliamentarians.

The President of the National Assembly, ministers and the leader of the official opposition receive an additional compensation of 75%. The additional allowance linked to the function of Prime Minister is 105%.

In addition to these allowances, MPs receive an expenses allowance of $20,256 as well as reimbursement of their travel expenses to parliament. Their housing expenses in Quebec are also reimbursed up to $17,800 per year.

In June, the decision to increase the basic allowance by $30,000 aroused opposition from three out of four Quebecers, according to a Léger survey paid for by QS.

Most of QS elected officials, who were free to decide, refused this increase, which they will give in the form of donations to organizations. The Parti Québécois deputies also refused this increase. They will make donations equivalent to what exceeds the percentage of the salary increase obtained by state employees as part of the current negotiations.

In October, the BAN abolished the attendance bonus of $125 per day that MPs received when they participated in a parliamentary committee outside the parliamentary calendar, when the House is not sitting.

This decision was taken after the situation was exposed by < i>Le Devoir, in September. Two former presidents of the National Assembly judged in particular that this attendance bonus no longer had its reason for being after what Prime Minister François Legault described as a “catch-up” of 30%.

Mr. Legault himself initially defended maintaining the $125 per day bonus, only to then turn around.