Ontario politicians may be giving themselves a hefty pay raise of about $22,000 before they head home for the holidays.

The Liberal government introduced legislation Tuesday to boost the salaries of members of the legislature to 75 per cent of what their federal counterparts make.

If the bill passes, Ontario politicians will see their base salary of $88,771 rise to $110,775 a year.

MPPs would also see contributions to pensions doubled and improved severance pay under the legislation.

NDP house leader Peter Kormos said the Liberal government has a lot of gall to introduce the legislation on the heels of the outcry over former Hydro One CEO Tom Parkinson's $3-million severance pay.

"It's remarkable that they would have the chutzpah, the nerve, I mean gonads the size of a canal horse, to introduce legislation like this in the shadow of the ongoing scandal around Tom Parkinson," said Kormos.

Liberal MPPs defended the legislation, saying a raise is long overdue.

"It's still well less than the federal members that we are compared to," said Ottawa Centre MPP Richard Patten.

Last week, Ontario's integrity commissioner warned that Queen's Park risks becoming a "farm team" for Parliament Hill and even municipal governments if salaries aren't raised.

With files from the Canadian Press