The provincial government's zero-wage increase mandate has ended -- at least for politicians. Under legislation introduced Thursday, an MLA's salary will rise by more than $11,000 a year -- to $86,580 -- effective April 1, 2006. That's an increase of nearly 15 per cent.

Rushed through all three readings unanimously in less than one hour, Bill 17 also increases 25 allowances paid to MLAs for extra legislative duties such as serving in cabinet, as a party whip or as chair of a standing committee.

Premier Gordon Campbell will see a net salary increase of nearly $26,000, to a total of $146,320 annually. Besides his increase in basic MLA pay, Campbell will receive $59,740 as an annual stipend for being premier -- up $14,740 from the current allowance. Total compensation for the premier will be up 21.5 per cent.

Liberal house leader Mike de Jong, who introduced the bill Thursday, said he expected mixed public reaction. But he defended the legislation, saying it will result in B.C. MLAs being the third-highest paid provincial politicians in Canada but still making only about 60 per cent of what federal MPs are paid.

"I think there's a whole bunch of people out there who will read the paper tomorrow and say: Good God, politicians have given themselves a raise again,' de Jong said. "People will decide whether in British Columbia at least, they think it's unreasonable for their MLAs to get just over half of what federal MPs get.'

George Heyman of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union said he doesn't begrudge anyone in the public service a fair wage. But health workers in the province recently had to take wage cuts to keep their jobs.

The MLAs "deserve fair treatment but everybody else who works for the public services deserves the same fair treatment ... and we'll be addressing that at the bargaining table," Heyman said.

The biggest total individual compensation increases, amounting to roughly 31 per cent each a year, will go to four NDP members -- house leader Mike Farnworth, caucus chairwoman Jenny Kwan, deputy whip John Horgan and whip Katrine Conroy -- as well as Liberal caucus chairman Gordon Hogg and Liberal whip Randy Haas.

The bill also increases the budget for MLA constituency offices by $35,000 to $119,000 a year and provides an extra $5,000 per MLA to each legislative caucus. It also brings back an MLA pension plan, a perk cancelled in 1996, that would provide a maximum of 65 per cent of salary. The bill, which will cost about $4 million a year, will also bring in a long-term disability plan for MLAs.