OTTAWA — The vast majority of Canadians oppose granting MPs a pay raise next month, say new poll numbers.
Conducted by Leger on behalf of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), 79% of respondents say they oppose the automatic and legislated pay raise MPs will receive on April 1 — the same day Canada’s consumer carbon tax is scheduled to increase.
“The vast majority of Canadians don’t think MPs deserve a raise,” said the CTF’s Franco Terrazzano.
“It seems like the only Canadians who strongly support an MP pay raise are the politicians themselves.”
The current base salary for MPs is $203,100.
Those with more senior roles, such as cabinet ministers, house speaker, opposition leader are entitled to an additional $96,800 annually, while the Prime Minister typically earns double the MP salary — currently $406,200.
But those salaries are set to increase on April 1, providing MPs an estimated $6,700 raise, cabinet ministers a $13,400 bump, and the PM an extra $13,400.
Recommended video
Raises for parliamentarians are calculated using a formula based on average wage increases awarded by large public sector companies.
Salaries for MPs are overseen by the House’s Board of Internal Economy — a committee chaired by the Speaker and consisting of privy council members and senior opposition party members.
With those who responded “not sure” removed, 86% of respondents opposed giving MPs a raise in April, while net support only ranked 14%.
MP pay raises haven’t always been automatic: Former prime minister Stephen Harper enacted a salary freeze on MPs between 2010 and 2013 due to the 2008 global financial crisis.
Recommended video
“After a pandemic, tax hikes, a cost-of-living crisis and now a painful tariff war, there’s no way MPs should be taking more money from their constituents,” said Terrazzano. “If politicians want to be true champions for taxpayers, they must push to stop this MP pay raise.”
Conducted Feb. 28-March 2, the poll was based on responses from 1,548 Canadian adults via Leger’s online panel. As margins of error don’t apply to online panels, an equivalent probably sample would yield a margin of error of 2.5%, 19 times out of 20.
[email protected]
X: @bryanpassifiume