Pay raise recommendation for New Brunswick MLAs, premier draws mixed response

A recommendation for New Brunswick’s premier and MLAs to receive raises is garnering a range of reactions.

The independent report tabled this week in the legislature says MLAs should see a 9.56 per cent wage increase, taking their annual base rate from $85,000 to $93,126.

The report says the premier should also have their salary increased by 13 per cent from $164,000 to $186,252 – double the salary of an MLA.

The two-person review committee of retired judge Margaret Larlee and lawyer G. Robert Basque recommended April 1, 2023 as the date for wages to increase.

“We suggest immediate salary adjustments and an appropriate amount for constituency expenses, including the salaries of constituency assistants,” says the report. “As importantly, we recommend a formula for future adjustments that, once adopted, the parties resolve to fully support and pledge to not disturb.”

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has often been critical of political pay raises, but federal director Franco Terrazzano said New Brunswick’s report comes at a particularly bad time.

“It's tone deaf,” said Terrazzano. “Now you have families who are struggling to afford groceries, who are struggling to afford gasoline, and the government is musing about giving politicians pay raises? It’s extremely tone deaf.”

“What should happen immediately is every single MLA and the premier should unequivocally state that they reject the recommendation.”

In the legislature Thursday, Premier Blaine Higgs said the lack of any MLA raises since 2008 had made salaries of provincial elected officials amongst Canada’s lowest (second to last, ahead of Prince Edward Island).

“So should that continue like that? No, I don’t think it should continue like that,” said Higgs. “I think it should be comparable to what everyone else achieves.”

Liberal leader Susan Holt said government wages merited review, but said the process shouldn’t be in the hands of MLAs.

“I think a process should be put in place where there is a regular and predictable amount that salaries change by,” said Holt. “The same for municipal councils and the same for other folks, and that we’re not put into this conflicted position to vote on our own pay.”

Green Party leader David Coon said he was more interested in the recommendation of constituency assistant wages being set at $25 per hour for a 36-hour work week.

“We’re comfortable in our caucus with the pay we’re at right now,” said Coon.

The wage report was announced the same week as a rate increase application from NB Power, and rising property assessments arriving in mail boxes across the province.

In August, Nova Scotia MLAs unanimously voted for legislation blocking an independent committee’s recommendation to increase MLA wages by 12.6 per cent.

“No politician wants to be the person to say yes to this, because the vast majority of the public don’t think politicians should be paid more,” said Jamie Gillies, a coordinator of communications and public policy at St. Thomas University in Fredericton. “The fact is, it’s a brutal job.”

“I think, in this case, I’m in favour of increasing the salary enough where there is now an opportunity to get diverse candidates running in competitive ridings.”

Don Wright, a political scientist at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, said he understood the issue of political optics but maintained “you’ve got to pay” in order to draw worthy candidates.

“You want good quality people to enter politics,” said Wright. “But they’re not going to leave their professions mid-career to enter politics to take a pay cut.”