Quebec legislators table bill to give themselves a hefty raise. How will they vote?

Normally, when the ruling majority party tables a bill at the National Assembly, it’s met with applause and handshakes.

But on Thursday, when Coalition Avenir Québec House Leader Simon Jolin-Barrette tabled a bill to increase MNA salaries by at least $30,000 it was met with silence.

Some say it’s a sign of how sensitive the subject is.

“It’s never the right time to do that,” Jolin-Barrette said.

MNAs haven’t had their salaries reviewed in at least 20 years.

In a report released last month, an independent committee made up of two former MNAs and a human resources expert said it’s time for legislators to get a raise.

The report emphasized the need for salaries to be competitive in order to attract top talent.

The report also highlighted how the job has changed over the years, becoming more complicated and time-consuming than ever.

Premier Francois Legault defended the pay raise, saying it was long overdue and time to catch up.

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Bill 24 proposes to raise the base MNA salary by about $30,000 while ministers and the leader of the opposition will get a $53,000 bump. The premier would see the highest raise at $63,000.

“We tabled a bill that takes the recommendation of the independent report,” said Jolin-Barrette.

What is causing discomfort among many legislators, however, is that they must vote on their own salary increase.

“When I go out of the parliament bubble, what I hear is people saying that it’s absurd,” said Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.

His party has come out strongly against the raise saying it could stoke cynicism in the population, especially as people struggle to make ends meet.

“The solution is to have an independent decisional process that takes care of that.”

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While the Liberals expressed support for the salary increase, the three Parti Québécois MNAs say they feel uncomfortable with the unrequested raise.

The PQ won’t reveal which way members will be voting but Pascal Bérubé said the CAQ MNAs have been lobbying them to vote in favour.

“To make sure the CAQ is not alone with this bill,” Bérubé said of the lobbying efforts.

With its majority, the CAQ is poised to push the salary increase through before the end of session in early June.