(Quebec) An independent committee is recommending that Crown prosecutors’ salaries be increased by 17% over four years, a raise that is twice as high as what the Legault government is offering to other civil servants.
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What there is to know
• Since 2011, an independent committee has made recommendations on determining the remuneration of prosecutors.
• The prosecutors’ union demanded raises of more than 40% in four years; The government proposed 7.5%.
• The committee recommends 17% for the same period.
In particular, the committee states that “prosecutors in Quebec lag behind in compensation compared to those in the rest of Canada” and that this gap is “increasing.”
His analysis takes into account both the economic situation and the state of public finances to assess the state’s proverbial solvency.
The committee’s unanimous report, presented to the National Assembly this week, will be a talking point in the city as part of negotiations with public and semi-public sector unions. Especially since the government appointed the three members of the committee by decree in mutual agreement with the Association of Criminal and Law Enforcement Prosecutors, as provided for in a law passed in 2011.
Quebec has already weakened its position by increasing MPs’ salaries by 30% in the spring. He got into trouble with the agreement in principle that called for a 21% increase in five years for the Sûreté du Québec, an agreement that was rejected by the police and considered inadequate.
After a major labor dispute in 2011, Crown prosecutors lost their right to strike in exchange for the introduction of a process for setting their compensation similar to that of judges. An independent committee will now be formed to make recommendations to the government, but the government is not obliged to follow them.
In 2015, the Couillard government implemented the Bouchard Committee’s recommendations – a 10% increase in four years. In 2020, the Legault government maintained the dissent of one of the three members of the Lemay Committee to set salary increases at 10% in four years; The majority report recommended a double increase.
This time the report is unanimous. The committee consists of Me Joëlle L’Heureux as President, Me Yves Morin, lawyer at Roy Bélanger Avocats, and Gilles Paquin, former senior official in the Ministry of Finance and Finance and former Secretary General of the Government.
As provided by law, the committee analyzed the positions of the association and the government based on various factors, such as the workload of prosecutors, the need to attract lawyers, the economic situation of Quebec and the remuneration of other public employees.
Before the committee, the Association of Prosecutors argued for salary increases totaling more than 40% in four years and pointed to the importance of salary catch-up measures. The government offered 7.5% over four years, which is comparable to the offer of 9% over five years to other civil servants.
Request from the public prosecutor
• 2023-2024: 31.1%
• 2024-2025: 2.7% + cost of living index
• 2025-2026: 2.7% + cost of living index
• 2026-2027: 2.6% + cost of living index
Government proposal
• 2023-2024: 3%
• 2024-2025: 1.5%
• 2025-2026: 1.5%
• 2026-2027: 1.5%
There has been a long-standing debate between the government and the association over how Quebec prosecutors’ pay should compare with that of their counterparts in the rest of Canada.
The Committee notes that “from the various comparison methodologies, it appears that prosecutors in Quebec have a negative compensation gap of between 4.8% and 15.4%” or “between 7.9% and 19.5%.” Each method has “biases,” so the committee believes it is primarily “an index, a direction.”
The committee also emphasizes that “prosecutors are taking on increasing responsibilities with new mandates given to the DPCP (Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions). There is also “an increase in the complexity and duration of the files”.
In addition, “the Committee notes the advantageous compensation of prosecutors compared to the majority of other public servants.” However, thanks to recent increases, litigation attorneys receive salaries comparable to those of prosecutors, he notes.
The committee says it is “sensitive to the fact that uncertainties remain regarding the development of the economy and that a degree of caution is warranted.” But “the financial framework is sound” and “the government is able to forecast a reduction in net debt and a return to fiscal balance for the period 2027-2028”.
Taking into account all the relevant elements, the Committee therefore recommends the following increases, totaling 17% over four years:
• 2023-2024: 6%
• 2024-2025: 4%
• 2025-2026: 3.5%
• 2026-2027: 3.5%
With a normal schedule of 37.5 hours per week, starting salary would increase from the current $70,284 to $83,000 in 2026; at the last level from $141,690 to $167,324.