Amid the Liberals’ 77-day-long prorogation of Canadian Parliament, MPs continue to receive biweekly paychecks, totaling around $46,869 during which their legislative responsibilities are paused.
Lame-duck Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided to prorogue Parliament on January 6 to allow his own party to pick a new leader, after he announced he was stepping down amid dismal approval ratings and widespread international ridicule.
Canada’s prorogued parliament comes at a time when the country faces drastic tariff threats from the United States and low public support for the current government.
Continued salary increases for MPs while they sit at home is leading to increased tension between politicians and taxpayers, who earn on average about $60,000 annually.
Comparatively, the annual salary for the average MP is slightly above $200,000, while Trudeau makes over $400,000 per year.
The provincial premiers lead by Danielle Smith and Doug Ford have continued to criticize the federal prorogation of parliament, while calling on action such as appointing a fentanyl czar, and implementing an immediate expansion of border security strategies in order to avoid future US tariffs.
Here is a suggestion for parliamentarians: At federal election time, in each ballot, there should be a voting box yes/no about allowing MPs to get pay raises. This would stop the conflict of interest of MPs voting themselves a cushy pay raise every year. I do not know of ANYONE in Canada outside of parliament who gets to vote themselves a pay raise.