MNAs salaries

MNAs salaries will be up for discussion when the National Assembly goes back to work next month.

The CAQ plans to table a bill, forming an independent committee to study MNAs' pay and perks.

"It's not us as MNAs who can have an objective point of view, because we are in a real conflict of interest," says the CAQ's Gerald Deltell. He says experts, labour relations professionals, and former MNAs should form the committee.

Bonuses for all the PQ members

Like the Liberals before it, the Parti Quebecois has given every one of their MNAs special duties that come with pay bonuses.

Some of these special functions, such as those of ministers or the parliamentary house leader, involve a hefty workload.

But others, such as parliamentary secretaries and deputy committee chairs, can require little extra work. Still, the PQ has 11 parliamentary secretaries, each gaining a $17, 334 bonus every year.

The National Assembly also has 11 deputy committee chairs from all three major parties, each making $21,667 extra per year.

Deltell says the extra functions could be a hidden way of topping-up an MNA's wages. "Is this a way to compensate for the fact that the salary isn't good enough? If so, that's not the right way to do things."

An MNA's base salaries is $86,669 per year, nearly half the salary of a federal MP.

Review all the perks

Deltell says the committee should review whether all these extra functions are needed, and whether an MNAs salary should be increased in a more transparent way. He also says it should look at other job perks, like MNAs pensions, which Deltell says are too generous.

The CAQ would also like to get rid of severance pay for MNAs who quit their jobs.

So far, both the Liberals and Parti Quebecois have said they are open to the idea.