MPs, Senators take junkets during break in ParliamentMPs say the trips to destinations in Europe, Africa, and Asia are justified, despite the interruption in Parliamentary business. |
MPs say the trips to destinations in Europe, Africa, and Asia are justified, despite the interruption in Parliamentary business. And though opposition and government MPs are brawling verbally over prorogation, they say there won't be any broken noses in hotel rooms or airplanes.
"Whether it be prorogued or whether it not be prorogued, Parliamentarians are pretty civil in that matter and people cooperate," says Liberal MP and deputy whip Marcel Proulx (Hull-Aylmer, Que.). "Sure, there might be some situations where you don't necessarily agree with your opponent's positions, but it doesn't work that way."
"I think it's the media's role to help us make people understand that because Parliament has been prorogued, it doesn't mean that Parliamentarians, whether they be Members of Parliament or whether they be Senators, we're not going to sit at home and wait until March 3, so we can come to Ottawa and sit in the House. It's a 12-month a year business. People know that we're continuing to work," Mr. Proulx said.
While Parliament is still for its six remaining weeks of the prorogation, MPs and Senators will be flying to London, the African republic of Chad, Brussels, Tokyo, Botswana, Zambia, Paris, Namibia, Vienna, Washington, London and New York.
The trips the politicians take every year as members of the 12 international Parliamentary associations can be costly.
Last July, two Senators racked up $10,684 in expenses to attend a one-day conference in Brussels. Liberal Senator Jane Cordy and Conservative Senator Raynell Andreychuk spent $9,112 on airfare and ground transportation, $1,001 on hotel rooms and $569 on per diem expenses.
In May, Conservative MP Peter Goldring (Edmonton East, Alta.), Liberal MP Robert Oliphant (Don Valley West, Ont.) and a staffer spent $26,988 to go to a two-day conference in Illulissat, Greenland. To attend the meeting of an Arctic region committee of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association, they spent $21,366 on transportation alone.
Last March, when Conservative MP Randy Hoback (Prince Albert, Sask.) and Liberal MP Anthony Rota (Nipissing-Timiskaming, Ont.) attended a two-day conference in Zagreb, Croatia, of a political subcommittee of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association, the bill to taxpayers came to $17,064.
Liberal MP Maria Minna (Beaches-East York, Ont.) said she cancelled participation in one of the February trips because of her role in workshops and other events the Liberals have planned to spite Prime Minister Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) for his decision to suspend Parliament. She added she also must head to Bangladesh in February at the invitation of that country's foreign office.
"I'm here for two weeks, it's just too tight," Ms. Minna said. "Normally I love going to these meetings because I think they bring parliamentarians together where we can actually discuss solutions and share with other countries."
Liberal MP Marlene Jennings (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Lachine, Que.) also defended the excursions abroad, adding they are not the cushy voyages they may appear to be to taxpayers and the news media on Parliament Hill.
"These are not junkets, they really aren't," she said. "When I first came in I did a few of these trips and believe me, we work. There is research that is done, there are documents that are produced, with recommendations and results and legislation. So we're working and believe me, they've got us going from early in the morning until fairly late in the evening."
NDP MP Yvon Godin (Acadie Bathurst, N.B.), one of the four party whips who must approve the participation of their respective MPs for the trips, said the trips are primarily scheduled when Parliament is on a long summer or winter break or on one of the week-long breaks each month.
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