Dateline: 05/31/2015

Salaries of Canadian Members of Parliament 2015-16

The salaries of Canadian members of parliament (MPs) are adjusted on April 1 each year. Increases to MPs salaries are based on an index of base-wage increases from major settlements of private-sector bargaining units maintained by the Labour Program in the federal Department of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). The Board of Internal Economy, the committee which handles the administration of the House of Commons, does not have to accept the index recommendation.

On occasions in the past the Board has put a freeze on MPs salaries. This year the MPs salary increase is a good deal more than what the government is offering in negotiations with the public service.

For 2015-16 the salaries of Canadian members of parliament were increased by 2.3 percent. The bonuses members of parliament receive for extra duties, for example being a Cabinet minister or chairing a standing committee, were also increased. The increase also affects severance and pension payments for MPs leaving politics this year, which, given it's an election year will be a larger number than normal.

Base Salary of Members of Parliament

All members of parliament now make a basic salary of $167,400, up from $163,700 last year.

Extra Compensation for Additional Responsibilities

MPs who have extra responsibilities, such as the Prime Minister, Speaker of the House, Leader of the Opposition, Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State, Leaders of other parties, parliamentary secretaries, party house leaders, caucus chairs, and chairs of House of Commons committees, receive additional compensation as follows:

Title	Additional Salary	Total Salary
Member of Parliament		$167,400
Prime Minister*	$167,400	$334,800
Speaker*	$  80,100	$247,500
Leader of the Opposition*	$  80,100	$247,500
Cabinet Minister*	$  80,100	$247,500
Minister of State	$  60,000	$227,400
Leaders of Other Parties	$  56,800	$224,200
Government Whip	$  30,000	$197,400
Opposition Whip	$  30,000	$197,400
Other Party Whips	$  11,700	$179,100
Parliamentary Secretaries	$  16,600	$184,000
Chair of Standing Committee	$  11,700	$179,100
Caucus Chair - Government	$  11,700	$179,100
Caucus Chair - Official Opposition	$  11,700	$179,100
Caucus Chairs - Other Parties	$    5,900	$173,300
*The Prime Minister, Speaker of the House, Leader of the Opposition and Cabinet Ministers also get a car allowance.

House of Commons Administration

The Board of Internal Economy handles the finances and administration of the Canadian House of Commons. The Board is chaired by the Speaker of the House of Commons and includes representatives of the government and official parties (those with at least 12 seats in the House.) All of its meetings are held in camera "to allow for full and frank exchanges."

One useful source of information on House budgets, allowances and entitlements for MPs and House Officers is the Members' Allowances and Services Manual. An up-to-date version is available online. It includes all sorts of information, like the insurance plans available to MPs, their office budgets by constituency, the House of Commons rules on travel expenses, rules on mailing householders and ten percenters, amongst other things, and even the cost of using the Members' gym (annual $100 personal expense including HST for MP and spouse).

The Board of Internal Economy also publishes quarterly Members' Expenditures Reports which are summaries of MPs expense reports within three months of the end of the quarter.

See Also:

• Role of Canadian Members of Parliament
• Parliament of Canada - An Introduction