FREDERICTON, N.B. – Legislation was introduced today to freeze salaries for provincially elected officials until 2021.
“Your government is committed to investing in job creation, education and health care,” said government house leader Rick Doucet. “In order to afford those investments, we have made tough choices like cutting our own salaries.”
The amendments will retroactively freeze salaries for members of the legislative assembly for 2015 and 2016 and will continue to freeze MLA salaries until 2021, which represents 13 years of continued wage freeze.
The amendments also suspend any adjustments to the additional salary received by members of the Executive Council including the premier and cabinet ministers, the Speaker and deputy Speaker of the legislative assembly, and for leaders of opposition parties.
“Your government is willing to make the hard choices, to do what is needed to reduce spending,” said deputy house leader Lisa Harris. “This legislation demonstrates that we are all in this together, and that when it comes to fiscal responsibility your government is ready to lead by example.”
As part of various wage restraint measures, salaries have been frozen since 2008. In addition, the premier received a 15 per cent salary reduction while cabinet ministers received a 10 per cent reduction in 2015.
