MP refuses $8,000 pay raise as food inflation hits 6% and Ottawa keeps spending
While families struggle with rising grocery bills, one MP bucks Ottawa’s spending culture with a rare act of restraint.
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On this week’s episode of The Gunn Show, I sit down with Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s Kris Sims to talk about something almost unheard of in Ottawa: a politician saying no thanks to more money.
Conservative MP Mike Dawson has rejected his automatic April 1 pay raise of roughly $8,000, calling it inappropriate at a time when Canadians are getting crushed at the grocery store. Food inflation is hovering around 6 percent, families are stretching paycheques, and more people than ever are lining up at food banks.
While most MPs quietly accept their indexed raises, Dawson opted out as a gesture of solidarity with struggling Canadians. It is a small act in dollar terms, but symbolically it matters.
We contrast that with the broader culture in Ottawa, where restraint seems optional.
Case in point is Prime Minister Mark Carney’s supposed pivot on the federal electric vehicle mandate. The Liberals are signalling flexibility, but when you read the fine print the regulatory framework remains. The targets remain. The pressure on consumers remains. It looks less like a reversal and more like a communications strategy.
Then there is Canada Post.
Just weeks into 2026, the Crown corporation is back asking for help, receiving another $1 billion bailout after already being propped up repeatedly in recent years. Losses continue. Service declines. Costs rise. Taxpayers are left holding the bill.
Kris and I break down what this says about priorities in Ottawa and why even a simple decision to refuse a raise stands out in a city where fiscal discipline and respect for taxpayers are increasingly rare.
COMMENTS
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David Heinze commented 2026-02-12 14:21:00 -0500What a great letter from Terrance.
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David Heinze commented 2026-02-12 14:19:59 -0500When Alberta separates there maybe, maybe another opportunity, our dealers to buy gas powered cars from the U.S. etc. and then sell them to the rest of Canada who can pick them up while vacationing in Alberta.? Add that to the Independent Alberta Advantage.
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2026-02-11 23:39:10 -0500Bruce, Canadians LOVE their government-run businesses. I’m sure you remember when and why PET established Petro-Canada (and put his buddy Mo Strong in charge). Moving ahead to 1979, Joe Clark was elected as PM and he promised to privatize it.
Then came the non-confidence vote, prompted in part by that proposal, resulting in the 1980 election. I remember during that campaign how people howled with indignation that Petro-Can should be run as a private-sector corporation. Soon after that, we got the NEP.
One of the few things Mulroney got right a few years later was to cut Petro-Can loose and let the market decide what to do with it.
And, yes, the Liberals have been a blight on this country ever since PET. -
Bruce Atchison commented 2026-02-11 23:11:40 -0500The Liberals have trashed this country since the first Trudeau. And governments just can’t run businesses. Every crown corporation is failing. It’s time to defund them all.
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2026-02-11 21:07:29 -0500One problem with government spending is that the system doesn’t know to make do with that it has. It’s always asking for more rather than looking for ways to spend the money it receives more effectively.
I’m reminded of the old joke that an engineer can do with $1 what everyone else needs $2 for. Then there’s the story of when Ernest Rutherford spoke with people in his lab and said: “Gentlemen, we’ve run out of money. Now we have to think.”
