Ontario Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) are set to receive a significant pay raise of approximately $40,000, after a 16-year pay freeze that has kept their base salary at $116,550 since 2009. The decision, announced by Premier Doug Ford’s government, has ignited heated debate across the province.
The salary freeze was initially introduced by then-Premier Dalton McGuinty as part of cost-containment measures during a period of economic uncertainty. Since then, MPPs’ wages have remained stagnant despite inflation and rising living costs. The new salary bump will bring MPPs’ $157,350, which is 75 per cent of what federal MPs make.
However, the decision comes with a lot of controversy. Critics have pointed to the minimum wage being too low to afford life and welfare not being enough to support individuals.
The Brandon Gonez Show took to the streets to gauge the public’s opinion on the raise, and Ontarians didn’t hold back.
“Everybody deserves a raise after that amount of time while being paid the same exact salary,” said one Torontonian.
Others, however, were far more critical. “I don’t think they really deserve a raise. They’re the upper class. They’re the 1% of people,” said another.
Another person expressed their concern “I think we need to reallocate funds away from making the rich richer and serve our most vulnerable communities.”
An owner of a local gym said “I don’t like to hate on anybody’s money, so I would like to say it’s good for them, I wouldn’t mind a little bit of that kickback coming to some of the citizens, some of the small businesses.”
