Speaker, one of the few items remaining for consideration in Committee of the Whole is the report on MLA compensation. Mr. Speaker, with the support of my fellow Members, I had placed this item back on the order paper and this was in response to concerns raised by some of my constituents that there had not been enough public debate on this item.
When the report on the MLA compensation was tabled by the Speaker, we realized there were many issues which needed to be discussed. These included both monetary and non-monetary items. It was clear we would need time to look carefully at the recommendations and how they fit in with the new way the Assembly has been operating. As a Caucus, we agreed that it was important to make some decisions quickly. In order to lead by example, we decided to approach our compensation by dealing with the big monetary items: salaries, indemnities and pensions. We cut our salary and indemnities by seven per cent and we eliminated the supplementary pension plan, cutting our pensions by 60 per cent and bringing them in line with other people working as part of the government.
Mr. Speaker, my colleagues and I do not feel that we would be doing justice to the work that went into this report or to the concerns of our constituents about a public discussion if we were to rush this report through today on the last day of the House business before the summer. Instead, we intend to take time over the summer, hearing the concerns and suggestions of our constituents on the MLA compensation report. When we return in October, we can deal with this report in the House, giving it the time and attention that it deserves. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.