Sask. NDP say 'now is not the time' for planned salary increase for MLAs amid rising prices
As consumers feel the pressure as prices continue to rise, Sask. NDP Leader Carla Beck said she’s been hearing concerns while knocking on doors.
“They’re actually scared to go to the grocery store because you know every time they go it’s more and more expensive,” Beck told CTV News.
Due to the concern around cost of living, the NDP feel it would be inappropriate for MLAs to accept an annual salary adjustment on April 1st.
The adjustment is based on the consumer price index which went up by 6 per cent last year.
“I don’t think this should even be a question. This is not a time to be increasing MLA salaries,” Beck said.
MLAs currently receive a base pay of $103,000, with bonuses for serving on committees or in cabinet. A 6 per cent raise would give members a minimum of $6,000 more.
Premier Scott Moe is currently on a trade mission to India and was not available to offer his opinion.
The province responded to CTV News’ request for inquiry with a statement, claiming; “The government is considering whether the expected increase should be adjusted before it takes effect.”
The NDP believe it should be reduced to zero.
“I understand the formula,” Beck explained. “I understand what’s happened in the past but this is not an ordinary time for people.”
The April pay raise may go to a house committee for discussion as the Saskatchewan Legislature resumes sitting this week.
The NDP maintain that the increase is a firm no for them.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.