New Brunswick lawmakers will receive a pay raise for the first time since 2008, in line with recommendations from an independent commission.
The changes were recently debated by a legislative committee, where members acknowledged the inherent awkwardness in discussion tax payer funded pay raises for themselves.
“It is an uncomfortable situation for all of us,” said Liberal MLA Rene Legacy.
“This is a very sensitive topic. We know how folks feel about it,” added government house leader Glen Savoie.
The base salary for MLAs has been frozen at $85,000 per year since 2008. Once the new raises take effect the base salary for all members will be $93,126, the amount that salaries would have been last year based on GDP growth since 2008. The new rates will take effect after the next election in the fall of 2024.
Savoie said the recommendations were based on careful consideration by the independent commission.
“They did an exhaustive analysis of all of this, they did comparisons across the country, jurisdictions across the country,” he said during a legislative committee meeting on May 24.
“They were exhaustive in their efforts to arrive at what they felt was the correct number.”
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The changes were studied by the legislative administration committee, which accepted the recommendations as is except for how top-ups for some positions are calculated.
Ministers will continue to receive a top-up of $52,614, but the premier’s extra pay will be the same amount as the base salary. That means the top job will pay $186,256 per year. The current salary of Premier Blaine Higgs is $152,150.
The leader of the official opposition will get 70 per cent of that top-up for a total of $158,314. The report recommended that registered party leaders get 25 per cent of the premier’s salary, but the committee opted to bump that to 50 per cent.
Green MLA Megan Mitton said it’s important that the changes don’t take effect immediately, but rather after the next scheduled provincial election.
“I do support that, that it’s for future members,” she said.
“We’re not voting this for ourselves, unless we’re reelected.”
Future raises will be in line with those of some non-unionized government employees that receive increases based on GDP growth.
The changes received unanimous support and should receive a third reading in the next two weeks.
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