Québec solidaire is accused of being lost when navigating its arguments against the proposed salary increase for MNAs.
“Where is the North? Please tell us, Québec solidaire,” said Liberal leader Marc Tanguay.
When it was first put forward, Québec solidaire came out swinging against the idea of a salary bump, saying there should be no increase at all.
Then, it proposed a lower increase by $10,000 then by $20,000, along with another amendment to postpone it to 2026.
“We’re just trying to make the bill less problematic as we can, it’s the only power we have in the opposition,” says Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, Québec solidaire’s spokesperson.
A new poll ordered by the party is giving their debate new wings.
The poll shows that two out of three Quebecers surveyed don’t support the 30 per cent increase.
Nadeau-Dubois insists that what they’ve always been against is MNAs voting on their own salary increases.
“I think the core problem here is not the amount itself more than the process. People are against the process,” he says.
The opposition says they’re flabbergasted by the party’s flip-flopping.
“Did they ask Quebecers if they agree with a $20,000 increase? The question, obviously, wasn’t asked,” Tanguay said, adding they need to be consistent.
The 30 per cent increase was proposed by an independent committee composed of two former MNAs and a human resources expert last month.
MNAs’ salaries hadn’t been reviewed in more than two decades.
Quebec Premier François Legault says the process was fair.
“It’s never easy, but I think it’s important to be fair, to be attractive and to be competitive,” Legault said.
The Parti Québécois says it will vote against the bill because they want its adoption delayed, but the reality of a CAQ majority is that it can push the proposal through by the end of the parliamentary session in mid-June.
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