Mr. Speaker, I begin by saying as one who has been in this place for 22 years and has gone through a number of processes by which we increased our compensation, that the process we have embarked on today is much superior to ones I have experienced in the past.
I say that with regard to the controversy that exists to some extent about what has been called fast tracking of the legislation. It is only fast tracking in the sense that there is a House order, but the fact of the matter is that this process or debate is taking about four or five days longer than any similar process.
The House and parliamentarians have been criticized in the past because it has been done in an hour. It has been done on the last day before a break. Everything has been done by unanimous consent and there has not necessarily been debate. Things are done on division. There has been a number of different ways in which this has been done in the past.
What we have here, with notice being given on a Friday, the bill introduced on a Monday, second reading debate on Tuesday, committee of the whole on Wednesday and third reading and final vote on Thursday, is certainly a much more prolonged process than has usually been the case. It does give Canadians time to get in touch with their MPs and give them their opinions before dealing with a fait accompli.
The circumstances of this package deserve to be reflected upon. Although it is ostensibly a response to the report of a commission created by statute after every election, there is no question that the impetus and momentum for this pay package come out of discussions within the Liberal caucus and a feeling within that party that it is time for a raise and time for so-called bold action on this file.
The commission made its report, but many commissions have made reports in the past which have not been acted upon. The government decided to act on this report. There is much in the report that the NDP finds commendable. There are things in it that we have asked for over the years. I am thinking first of all of the demand for transparency and that the tax free allowance be converted to taxable income so that there is no illusion as to what members are making. That is a good recommendation of the commission. It is something we support and which is part of the bill.
If the bill is passed we will never need to go through this again. The determination of members' salaries will happen pursuant to a process that will not happen in the House of Commons. That in itself is good. I think every member of parliament going through this experience will, just at the existential level, be glad to know it is not something any member will have to go through again.
We support these things, but we do have a problem with the extent of the raise proposed, the 20% raise. We feel, and we have said so publicly, that a 10% raise would have been more in order and that various indicators could have been used to justify a 10% raise. We find the 20% raise a bit too rich for our understanding of what was needed, so we will be moving an amendment to reduce the 20% raise to a 10% raise.