P.E.I. MLAs will see a pay increase in the new year.
According to the latest report of the indemnities and allowances commission, the Island’s elected leaders will get a 1.5-per-cent-raise as of April of 2020. The base pay of individual MLAs will be set at $74,394, although senior members of government and Opposition will receive an additional salary.
The 1.5-per-cent-increase is based on the 10-year average change of the Consumer Price Index on P.E.I.
Premier Dennis King will earn $155,191 with his additional salary included, while ministers and the Speaker will take in $126,381. Opposition Leader Peter Bevan-Baker will earn $126,381 while the leader of the Liberal third party, currently Sonny Gallant, will earn $100,388. The deputy Speaker, currently Liberal member Hal Perry, will earn as much as the leader of the third party at $100,388.
The Liberal third party house leader, currently Heath MacDonald, will see the biggest increase in pay at three per cent, bringing his total salary to $79,020. The government house leader, currently Sidney MacEwen, will take in $88,413 while the Opposition house leader, currently Hannah Bell, will earn $81,403.
The report said the pay for the third party house leader received a three-per-cent-increase in order to ensure the position paid more than that of the third party whip. The whips for all three parties – government, Opposition and third party – will each earn $78,478 in total.
While this may seem like a handsome salary for P.E.I., where the median income is $33,100, the commission’s report noted the salary is lower than that received by MLAs in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. MLAs earn $89,235 in Nova Scotia and $85,000 in New Brunswick as a base salary.
One change this year is the discontinuation of an additional salary for backbench MLAs from the governing party who serve on cabinet committees. Since the last spring, these individuals have received a per diem honoraria based on days where they attended meetings outside of regular sitting days of the legislative assembly.
Prior to this, these MLAs would have received an additional salary of $6,662 on top of their base salary for a total of $79,957 yearly.
Members of legislative standing committees will also be eligible for a per diem honoraria for committee work. The maximum per diem amount MLAs will be able to draw is set at $4,568 annually.
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