The house of assembly's management commission unanimously voted Wednesday night to freeze MHA salaries until at least after the next provincial election in 2015.

A 2012 review of salaries and benefits paid to MHAs recommended compensation increases be tied to the consumer price index.

Environment Miniser Tom Hedderson said the MHA wage freeze is a necessary move. (CBC )

However, in a recent letter to the Speaker of the house of assembly, Finance Minister Jerome Kennedy said raises should be suspended, given the province's multi-billion dollar deficit projections.

Earlier this month, Kennedy predicted the budget deficits for the fiscal years 2012, 2013 and 2014 would total nearly $4 billion.

The freeze means that the base salary of a member of the house of assembly will remain at just over $95,000 a year.

Environment Miniser Tom Hedderson said it's a necessary move.

"This is in keeping with where our government is going ... making sure that our expenditures are kept to a minimum," he said.

Opposition blames PC government

Liberal MHA Yvonne Jones said the freeze is a sign of the times.

Liberal MHA Yvonne Jones said it's because of the current government's mismanagement that the province is facing such a dire financial situation. (CBC)

"Whatever government is in place today – whether it's Liberal, Conservative, or NDP – they're faced with the reality that someone is going to have to have better financial management going forward into the future. So, as MHAs I think it starts with us," she said.

She blamed the current PC government for putting the province in such a dire fiscal situation.

"The financial situation that we are facing right now is all because of mismanagement by the current government," she said.

"It wasn't circumstances; they have choices to make about where they spent their money and unfortunately they made bad choices."