Check It Out: Encourage your MP to lead by example

By Joan Janzen

The story goes like this: A young construction worker was making fun of his older co-worker. Finally, the older worker had enough and said to the young man, “Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is”? I’ll bet a week’s wages I can haul something in a wheelbarrow over to that building that you won’t be able to wheel back.”

The young man agreed, and the old man responded, “All right, get in!”

In case you’re unaware, this is the definition of “put your money where your mouth is”: to show by your actions and not just your words that you support or believe in something.

Members of Parliament (MP) from every party continue to assure taxpayers, with their words, that they support and believe in fiscal responsibility while representing the well-being of their constituents. However, in April of 2024, their actions will be sending a different message.

On April 1 of this year, MPs, Ministers and the Prime Minister will receive automatic pay raises of approximately 4.2 percent. Kris Sims, the Alberta Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), recently discussed this topic with Andrew Lawton.

Kris noted a 4.2 percent increase is larger than inflation. She also said, “Their bills are paid, their travel is paid, their rent, mortgage ... the vast majority of that is covered courtesy of the taxpayer.” Kris and Andrew questioned the necessity of such a salary increase and the message it conveys to Canadians.

In 2020, an MP’s salary was $178,900, and their current salary is $194,600. A Minister’s salary in 2020 was $264,400 compared to today’s salary of $287,400. The Prime Minister’s salary in 2020 was $357,800 compared to today’s salary of $389,200.

“What’s really annoying is we’re not hearing enough MPs speaking up against these pay hikes, including some of the usual suspects that we would be expecting to speak up about these automatic pay increases,” Kris observed.

Andrew responded, saying, “This is the problem with automatic increases; politicians can say I didn’t vote for it because there’s a law that automatically increases their pay on April 1.”

However, if we look back a decade or so ago, we see that the federal government stopped automatic MP pay hikes from 2010 to 2013 in response to the 2008-2009 recession. So it can and has been done.

“They create law. They are legislators. This is not forced upon them unwillingly,” Kris said. “They could stop this tomorrow if they felt like it, but that is not happening.

Apparently, they just don’t feel like it. It’s always bad when they take pay hikes, but especially now when people are struggling.”

Kris said while grocery shopping, she watched a young mom put items back on the shelf as she was obviously picking and choosing what she could afford to buy. Kris also noted that a lot of people in the private sector took pay cuts during the past few years. However, they are the people paying for the politicians’ hikes in pay. And politicians have not missed a pay increase over the past three years.

Andrew reasoned that it’s been said if you want to attract good people into politics, there needs to be some kind of compensation. “But how should this be dealt with?” Andrew asked his guest.

Kris said you deal with it as minimally as humanly possible. “Let’s start from the ground up ... in local politics,” she suggested. “Unfortunately, you’re seeing in local city halls in places like Calgary, the mayor is being paid more than the premiers. That was never the role of local government. Local government was always staffed by people who were invested in their neighbourhood, or had already worked most of their lives and now had time to give back. That’s why we call it public service. It should not be a career goal of a four-year undergrad person. It starts at that level of entitlement.”

She continued to say, “We want to see MPs really walk the talk. If they want to truly save taxpayers money they should lead by example. They should donate all their pay raises. They should also say - as soon as my team is in power I’m going to stop these MP pay increases. That is something we want to see coming out of Ottawa.”

As for compensation attracting good people to politics, Kris suggested people ask if they’re getting good value from the wages paid to their federal politicians. “I venture to guess the answer is usually ‘no.’ So are we attracting good people to politics?” Kris asked.

Franco Terrazzano from the CTF said in a recent report, “MPs should know better than to give themselves raises while their constituents are worried about rising mortgage payments and are struggling to feed their families. It’s not rocket science: MPs should do the right thing and stop their upcoming pay raise.”

However, if they choose to go ahead and receive their pay raise on April 1, I have an alternative suggestion. Like myself, you might be receiving daily or weekly emails and phone calls from political parties asking for donations towards their fundraising campaigns. I think their individual pay raises, which range from $8,100 to $16,000 (depending on their position), would significantly build up their “war chest and fund their communications infrastructure and large-scale election efforts.” Those are words taken from a donation request.

It’s time for politicians to put their money where their mouth is. And it’s time for Canadians to tell their local MPs they want them to lead by example. After all, April Fools Day and April 1 pay raises are quickly approaching.