VICTORIA – The New Democrat Caucus in the B.C. Legislature has rejected a report by an independent panel on compensation for Members of the Legislative Assembly that would see MLAs’ pay rise by a minimum of 29 per cent, says NDP Opposition Leader Carole James. 

“While we are grateful for the work of the independent panel, we believe that the massive pay increases that the panel is proposing are not something that the public would support. While this is a difficult issue for MLAs, we felt that it did not pass the fairness test,” James said. 

“We met as a caucus, we took a look at the package, and we came to a consensus to reject it,” she said. 

Since the panel’s report was issued on May 1, Premier Gordon Campbell and the B.C. Liberal caucus have indicated that they intend to accept the panel’s proposals that MLA base pay be raised by 29 per cent, and that pay for cabinet ministers would rise at a higher rate, including a 54-per-cent increase for the premier.  

“Our caucus will look at the bill on MLA compensation when the government tables it in the house, and we will respond to those proposals after we have considered them,” James said.

Carole James

Victoria-Beacon Hill

Carole has served as the MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill since 2005.