Following salary increase, N.S. MLAs approve $921 hike to office budgets
Future increases will be automatic and tied to the rate of inflation
The 55 MLAs who sit in the Nova Scotia Legislature will be getting a $921 increase in their constituency budgets, the first increase in their office expenses since 2012.
An all-party committee has also approved a motion to automatically tie all future budget increases to the cost of living.
Both changes were recommended by an independent review panel made up of senior government officials in a report released in February.
Cabinet minister Brendan Maguire, who as a Liberal opposition member lobbied unsuccessfully for an increase in constituency expenses to allow MLAs to hire two assistants, is satisfied with the change.
"I think it's a good step, obviously," Maguire told CBC News. "It's good to see everybody on the committee agree to this."
MLA office budgets now range from $5,500 to $5,800 a month depending on the size of the constituency.
Opposition in favour of increase
New Democrat MLA Lisa Lachance said it was "really important" to get an increase so that MLAs could better do their jobs.
Lachance said it "seemed very reasonable" to have the budgets automatically increased and tied to cost-of-living increases.
Liberal House leader Iain Rankin echoed that sentiment.
"I think that since it's based on some metric, I think it's reasonable to embed that in law," said Rankin following the House of Assembly's management commission meeting. "I think other jurisdictions do that so it does remove politics from it."
MLA expenses were tied to cost-of-living increases before but previous NDP and Liberal governments either refused to approve the increases or blocked them outright. Until now the current PC government also refused to increase the allowances.
Apartment rent
All three parties have also agreed to increase to $2,100 the maximum amount both cabinet ministers and MLAs who live at least 100 kilometres from Province House can spend on apartment rent. Cabinet ministers currently can bill taxpayers up to $1,700 for their apartments while the limit for MLAs is $1,500.
Currently 25 MLAs qualify for an apartment in Halifax. The remaining 30 all live close enough to Province House to be able to travel home daily after sittings.
The remuneration panel has recommended the 100-kilometre limit be lowered to 50 kilometres, which would allow another four MLAs to qualify, but the Houston government has not yet moved ahead on that recommendation.
A bill sure to pass this spring will formally enact the binding recommendation of the remuneration committee that called on MLAs to get their first salary increase in 12 years.
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