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Bonus for being chair opposition caucus: $5,600

Bonus for being committee chair: $11,200*

Bonus for being committee vice-chair:$5,600*

(*=Excluding standing joint committee on the Library of Parliament)

Source: Senate of Canada

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When MPs quietly gave themselves a pay increase late last month — ending a three-year salary freeze — they not only gave a gift to themselves, but to the legislative body down the hall.

The base salary for senators went up to $135,200 from $132,300 — an increase of $2,900 — on April 1, the same day salary increases kicked in for MPs, whose base salary rose to $160,200 from just under $158,000, for an increase of about $2,500.

While MPs gave themselves a 1.6 per cent increase, that decision for senators translated into an approximately 2.3 per cent wage increase for everyone in the upper chamber, including Sen. Patrick Brazeau who is on a forced leave of absence. Senate administrative rules allow the upper chamber to reduce a suspended senator’s salary. Brazeau, however, is not suspended, meaning he retains his salary and only has spending limits imposed on his office budget.

The cost to pay each of Canada’s 105 senators their salary this fiscal year will total almost $14.2 million, not including any increases in bonuses provided to the government and opposition leaders, the Speaker of the Senate, deputy leaders, whips and committee chairs. Combined, those bonuses increased by about $5,600, for a total of just under $500,000 for the fiscal year.