Transitional assistance is available to former Members who meet certain conditions following their term in office to enable them to have some income for a period of time until they find other employment. The work of a Member of the Legislative Assembly is not considered insurable employment by the Canada Revenue Agency, and therefore Members are not eligible to contribute to the federal Employment Insurance plan. The transitional assistance program requirements are established in Policy 7200 – Member Allowances approved by the Legislative Assembly Management Committee.
Learn More
For more information on transitional assistance, contact Client Care.
To be eligible for transitional assistance, Members must remain a Member from the time of their election until the end of the Parliament. Members who resign or forfeit their seat in the Legislative Assembly are not eligible for this assistance. Members who qualify at the time of a provincial general election will be enrolled automatically into the program.
A Member can decline to participate in the program at any time and should notify the Assembly of their intentions by contacting Client Care.
Eligible former Members receive an amount equal to the basic compensation for Members for a minimum of four months and a maximum of 15 months. To receive the full 15 months of transitional assistance, a Member must have served a full term of a Parliament.
A Member elected in a by-election, and not running or defeated in the next provincial general election, is eligible to receive the first four months of transitional assistance, with the remaining eleven months prorated, based on the amount of time the Member served as an MLA during the Parliament.
Example: A Member is elected in a by-election with 900 days remaining out of a 1,461-day Parliament. The Member chose not to run in the next election and therefore served about 62% (900/1,461 days) of the Parliament. The Member is entitled to a total of 10.82 months (4 months + 6.82 months (62% x 11 months)) of transitional assistance.
Eligible Members will receive transitional assistance for a minimum of four months regardless of whether a Member is receiving other income. After four months, Members must report income to Client Care to continue receiving transitional assistance. The transitional assistance amount will be reduced by the gross amount of income a Member reports receiving.
The transitional assistance amount is taxable and deductions at source will be made for CPP and income tax. The transitional assistance amount is not pensionable.
Transitional assistance ends when:
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- a Member receives an income that equals or exceeds the total transitional assistance amount a Member is eligible to receive over the transition period
- a Member stops reporting their income
- a Member declines to participate in the program
Disclosure Reporting
Payments made under the Members’ transitional assistance allowance will be disclosed on the Legislative Assembly’s website on an aggregate basis quarterly after a provincial general election.
Former Members receiving transitional assistance must report income on a quarterly basis on an income confirmation form distributed by Client Care. Members are also responsible for reporting changes to their income. If a Member receives income beyond what they have declared on their quarterly report, the Member must repay overpayment of their transitional assistance.
Income includes employment salaries, wages, bonuses, commissions, amounts paid for serving on a governance board, and pensions.
If a Member’s income falls below the amount of transitional assistance and the former Member is still within the transitional assistance period (generally 15 months from final voting day, except for Members elected in a by-election, as noted above), the onus is on the Member to contact Client Care to have the transitional assistance reinstated. Please note that the overall transitional assistance period is not extended by the period of time a Member was not receiving transitional assistance.
Benefits coverage continues, including for spouses and dependents, while former Members are in receipt of transitional assistance unless the former Member advises Client Care that benefits are provided by the new employer or as part of the MLA pension post-retirement benefits program. If the income received from employment equals or exceeds the amount of transitional assistance, both the payment of transitional assistance and benefits coverage will cease.
The Relocation Allowance is available to support Members not returning following a provincial general election in moving their personal possessions from Victoria to their primary residence in British Columbia. Members who are eligible for the Capital City Living Allowance are eligible for the Relocation Allowance.
Eligible expenses will be reimbursed based up to a maximum amount based on the one-way distance required for the move. The Relocation Allowance is a taxable benefit and is subject to the Legislative Assembly’s proactive disclosure practices applicable to Members. See Policy 7200 – Member Allowances or contact Client Care for details.
The Retraining Allowance is available to Members not returning after a provincial general election to assist Members in returning to their previous career or beginning a new career. Eligible expenses are outlined in Appendix D of Policy 7200 – Member Allowances.
Pre-Approval Requirements
Use of the Retraining Allowance must be approved in advance by the Chief Financial Officer. Members must submit a Retraining Allowance Pre-Approval Form detailing their professional development or retraining goal before any costs are incurred.
All requests must be sent to Client Care. Client Care will then liaise with the Chief Financial Officer, who reviews requests to use the Retraining Allowance. Any appeal of the decision of the Chief Financial Officer with respect to eligibility for use of the Retraining Allowance will be referred to the Speaker, whose decision is final.
To be eligible for reimbursement, retraining must occur within the transitional assistance period (15-months following the final voting day of a provincial general election), unless one of the following exceptions is pre-approved in writing.
Exceptions
1. Reimbursement to Members for retraining costs incurred prior to the final voting day.
If a Member is not seeking re-election, the Chief Financial Officer may pre-approve a retraining expense that occurs prior to an election.
Example: A Member who was formerly a teacher and who is not seeking re-election may take courses prior to the election date in order to be re-certified in time for the fall school semester. Reimbursement of eligible career retraining costs will however not occur until after the final voting day.
2. Reimbursement to Members for retraining costs related to a multi-course program that extends beyond the 15-month transitional assistance period.
Some Members may enroll in a retraining program which requires the completion of several classes or sessions. Classes or sessions that occur after the transitional assistance period ends may be eligible for reimbursement, as long as the Member was enrolled in and completed a previous class or session during the transitional assistance period. To be eligible for reimbursement, all classes and sessions taken outside of the transitional assistance period must be completed within 3 months after the transitional assistance period ends. This extension must be pre-approved by the Chief Financial Officer.
Example: A Member enrolls in an accounting program at a university, and the transitional assistance period ends January 19, 2026. Prior to January 19, 2026, the Member completes two accounting courses and is reimbursed. The Member could be reimbursed for further accounting courses that begin after January 19, 2026, and end prior to April 19, 2026.
3. Extended eligibility period to use the retraining allowance.
The Speaker may extend a Member’s eligibility period for the Retraining Allowance beyond the 15-month transitional assistance period due to a Member’s primary caregiver responsibilities or significant health challenges.