A New Brunswick Conservative MP who went to court to reject his own $8,800 annual pay raise has been told by the House of Commons that accepting the extra money isn't optional.

Miramichi-Grand Lake MP Mike Dawson launched a Federal Court application for judicial review in June after Parliament increased the base salary for MPs from $208,900 to $217,700 on April 1.

Dawson has argued that accepting an $8,800 raise while Canadians struggle with the cost of living is wrong and wants Parliament to stop paying it to him.

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But according to an affidavit filed in Federal Court by House of Commons clerk Eric Janse, parliamentary administrators believe they are legally required to pay Dawson the full amount.

“The House Administration is of the view that the applicant's sessional allowance must, as a matter of law, be paid in the amount prescribed by the Parliament of Canada Act, including all applicable annual adjustments,” Janse wrote.

MP salaries are automatically adjusted under federal legislation using a formula tied to private-sector wage increases.

The House also argued that allowing Dawson to opt out would require administrators to create and maintain a separate salary calculation for him every year he remains an MP.

Dawson isn't buying the argument that withholding the raise would be administratively difficult.

“We seem to be all right to put somebody on the moon, but we can’t stop a pay raise,” Dawson told CBC News. “Everything’s electronic for pay. It’s just a matter of clicking a button.”

Conservative MP Mike Dawson is turning down the April 1 MP pay raise.

What a hero. pic.twitter.com/ppQ8NPNw6l

— Franco Terrazzano (@franco_nomics) February 10, 2026

The first-term Conservative MP has instead been donating the value of his raise to charity while continuing his legal effort to refuse it altogether.

Dawson has previously faced criticism from fellow MPs over his opposition to the annual salary increase.