(Quebec) The deputies of the National Assembly adopted on Tuesday the law increasing their salary by 30%, or $30,000 and more. A file settled at full speed, in the last week of the parliamentary session before the summer break.
At the Blue Room, Caquistes and Liberals present supported the adoption of Bill 24, while elected officials from the Parti Québécois and Québec solidaire opposed it (68 votes for; 15 votes against). The sponsor of the bill, Simon Jolin-Barrette, was conspicuous by his absence at the time of the vote. He had to leave parliament for family reasons, his cabinet maintains.
Contrary to the other bills, this legislative text was not the subject of any consultation in parliamentary committee. The adoption process took place at breakneck speed.
The basic allowance for MNAs increases, upon assent, from $101,561 to $131,766, an increase of 30% or $30,000.
That’s not all: thousands of additional dollars add up for many. It is that the vast majority of deputies (115 out of 125, including all caquistes) also receive additional compensation because they occupy a parliamentary function – session chairman ($ 15,000), committee chairman ($ 25,000) , parliamentary assistant ($20,000), minister ($76,000) or prime minister ($106,000), for example. This additional indemnity is also increased by 30% since, under the rules, it corresponds to a percentage of the basic annual indemnity.
Note that in addition to the allowances, there is an expense allowance equivalent to $38,184 per MNA.
The 30% salary increase represents a bill of more than $5 million per year.
The law provides for a new formula for indexing the salaries of deputies. This formula will be more advantageous, according to recent experience.
Highest paid in Canada
In the last 10 years, the salaries of MNAs have increased by 15% due to annual indexation based on the increase in the salary scales of public service executives (1.5% per year on average). Under the law, it will henceforth be indexed in an equivalent manner to any increase in the compensation of a category of chief executive officers of government agencies. Compensation for this group has increased by 25% in the last decade (2.5% per year on average).
Quebec MPs already enjoyed the highest compensation in Canada, with the exception of the Commons. The gap will now be larger.
Over the past few days, François Legault has made various arguments to justify the salary increase:
- “It is a catch-up that was due” so that “salaries are competitive”;
- “It is important to attract the best, to attract competent people” in politics;
- “We must promote the role of deputy”;
- A young politician “has the right to go and earn as much money as possible to give as much as possible to his children”;
- “Let’s not forget that Quebec is a nation, that we have to manage identity powers that other provinces do not have to manage”, which justifies a higher salary.
The law adopted on Tuesday implements the recommendations of an independent committee made up of former MPs Lise Thériault (PLQ) and Martin Ouellet (PQ), as well as a human resources specialist, Jérôme Côté. This committee was formed in mid-February at the request of the Bureau of the National Assembly (BAN) – the board of directors of Parliament made up of elected representatives from all parties and where the government has a majority. He only had two months to submit his report.
However, by the admission of the chairman of the committee, Jérôme Côté, the mandate given by the BAN was “restricted”. It was to be limited to the basic indemnity and the indexation mechanism. He could not make recommendations on expense allowances, additional allowances, group insurance and, above all, the gilded pension plan for MPs.
Too profitable?
In 2013, another independent committee examined the overall compensation of MPs. It was chaired by retired judge Claire L’Heureux-Dubé. He recommended raising the salaries of deputies, but, in return, eliminating certain allowances, cleaning up others and, above all, imposing a slimming cure on the so-called “Ferrari” pension plan. This scheme has no equivalent elsewhere.
The report explained that Quebec elected officials pay contributions representing only 21% of the cost of their pension plan; the rest, 79%, is assumed by the State. The pension fund for elected officials is in deficit by more than $200 million today. The State assumes, out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, the payment of pensions.
The law voted on Tuesday will have the effect of making this pension plan even more generous and of widening the deficit in the long term.
In the fall of 2014, CAQ leader François Legault had the National Assembly adopt a motion for deputies to “contribute 50% to their pension plan”, as was then imposed on municipal employees. This commitment has disappeared since he became Prime Minister.
The co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, promised to donate all of his salary increase to community organizations, to then specify that his colleagues are not required to do the same. They will donate all or part of their increase to organizations, as the case may be. They promise to disclose the amount.
The Parti Québécois MNAs have announced that they will find a formula to ensure that their increase is limited to that which will be granted to the 600,000 government employees. The Legault government offers them 9% in five years.