(Sherbrooke) We had to “have the courage” to increase the remuneration of MNAs by $30,000.
This was suggested by the chief caquiste François Legault on Saturday in Sherbrooke at the start of the convention of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ).
His government tabled a bill this week that raises base pay for elected officials from $101,561 to $131,766. The caucus of elected CAQ members would even be unanimous in supporting this considerable increase.
In a press scrum at the Sherbrooke Fair Center, Mr. Legault said that the debate on the remuneration of elected members of the National Assembly had dragged on for too long.
He argued that it was necessary to have the courage to increase the remuneration of elected officials.
“It’s a file that you have to have the courage to settle to be able to attract all people, not just people who have made money before,” he said.
However, even if the CAQ thus apparently had the courage to propose this substantial bonus, the party did not hold out on putting this proposal into play during the election campaign last year.
“It’s always a delicate file,” admitted the CAQ leader, to explain why it was not discussed during the election campaign.
Caquiste deputies indicated that the 90 elected members of the CAQ were in favor of increasing their salaries.
The member for Jean-Talon, Joëlle Boutin, assured in a press scrum that there was unanimity of the caucus: “yes yes yes”, she insisted.
“It’s 24/7, there are a lot of people who wouldn’t do that,” she added of the $30,000 annual hike.
Families Minister Suzanne Roy initially said the issue had “consensus” in caucus, but then changed her mind to say it was unanimous and then turned her back, ending the press scrum.
On Friday, one of their colleagues, the member for Richmond, André Bachand, for his part let it be known that the salary increase was more than a consensus among elected CAQists, but refused to say that it was unanimous.
January Grondin, a former elected ADQ then Caquiste from Beauce-Nord, still an activist, judged for his part that this increase in remuneration was not indecent.
“It’s very normal,” he replied in a press scrum.
“During an election campaign, when you have a county of 150 km, about twenty municipalities, when you are caught up in this seven days a week… How many years have they not been increased, the deputies ? »
Remember that the emoluments of elected officials were still indexed year after year.