OTTAWA - Federal politicians have collectively reported receiving more than $420,000 worth of trips paid for by a variety of sponsors, reveals a new report released Tuesday by the federal ethics watchdog.
Conservative members of Parliament racked up the most expenses, accepting $236,503.53 in sponsored trips, followed by the Liberals at about $131,740.26, the New Democrats at about $33,911.33 and the Bloc Quebecois at $17,979.55.
MPs are required to report the travel benefits every year to Mary Dawson, the federal conflict of interest and ethics commissioner, who then compiles the data in a report. The totals also include travel benefits received by staff or guests who travel with the MPs.
Representatives from the three officially recognized federal parties all said sponsored trips helped contribute to their work as MPs.
``When I take trips paid for by others, I make sure that my independent judgment is not compromised, and I do what my constituents elected me to do as an international lawyer and as a human rights lawyer,'' said John Weston, a Conservative MP from British Columbia, who reported receiving the most travel benefits among Conservatives at $15,761.40 for two trips to Hong Kong and Baghdad in 2011.
He explained that the two sponsored trips helped him promote trade in Asia as well as address human rights issues affecting persecuted Christians and other minorities in Iraq. Weston's trips were sponsored by One Free World International, a human rights organization focusing on religious minorities, and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office.
Weston noted that his taxpayer-funded travel budget is the lowest among B.C. MPs.
Nearly 60 MPs reported receiving sponsored trips, according to the report, and the most popular destinations were Taiwan, visited by 21 MPs, followed by Israel, visited 11 times by various MPs.
Joyce Murray, a Liberal MP from British Columbia who reported receiving the most travel benefits among all MPs with $17,063.72 for two trips to Israel and Taiwan, said that trips abroad also help politicians learn more about issues such as immigration and foreign aid.
``Whether this was a parliamentary delegation paid by government, paid by taxpayers dollars, it's important, I believe, that Canadian members of Parliament don't just sit in their constituencies or in our country,'' she said, ``because part of our responsibility has to do with Canada's role in the world.''
While her trips were sponsored by the Canadian Council for Israel Jewish Advocacy and the Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association, she also noted that she spent money out of her own pocket to visit Canadian embassy officials in Egypt and Jordan in the course of her visit to Israel last July to learn more about the Arab Spring political uprising that was emerging in the Middle East.
Rookie NDP MP Mathieu Ravignat, who represents a western Quebec riding, was the highest recipient of sponsored travel benefits in his own caucus, reporting that he had accepted $7,281.39 in the course of a two-week trip to Israel at the end of the summer in 2011. He noted that other Canadian parliamentarians, from both the Conservatives and Liberals, attended this trip, sponsored by the Canadian Council for Israel Jewish Advocacy.
``Israel is an important trading partner for Canada so I thought it was a good opportunity to understand that relationship better,'' said Ravignat, the NDP's deputy international trade critic.
``All the meetings were working meetings with various representatives of the Israeli government and civil society. I think that these trips can allow - provided that they are properly structured - that kind of learning to occur and exchange to occur.''
Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Mike De Souza and Jason Fekete
Conservative members of Parliament racked up the most expenses, accepting $236,503.53 in sponsored trips, followed by the Liberals at about $131,740.26, the New Democrats at about $33,911.33 and the Bloc Quebecois at $17,979.55.
MPs are required to report the travel benefits every year to Mary Dawson, the federal conflict of interest and ethics commissioner, who then compiles the data in a report. The totals also include travel benefits received by staff or guests who travel with the MPs.
Representatives from the three officially recognized federal parties all said sponsored trips helped contribute to their work as MPs.
``When I take trips paid for by others, I make sure that my independent judgment is not compromised, and I do what my constituents elected me to do as an international lawyer and as a human rights lawyer,'' said John Weston, a Conservative MP from British Columbia, who reported receiving the most travel benefits among Conservatives at $15,761.40 for two trips to Hong Kong and Baghdad in 2011.
He explained that the two sponsored trips helped him promote trade in Asia as well as address human rights issues affecting persecuted Christians and other minorities in Iraq. Weston's trips were sponsored by One Free World International, a human rights organization focusing on religious minorities, and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office.
Weston noted that his taxpayer-funded travel budget is the lowest among B.C. MPs.
Nearly 60 MPs reported receiving sponsored trips, according to the report, and the most popular destinations were Taiwan, visited by 21 MPs, followed by Israel, visited 11 times by various MPs.
Joyce Murray, a Liberal MP from British Columbia who reported receiving the most travel benefits among all MPs with $17,063.72 for two trips to Israel and Taiwan, said that trips abroad also help politicians learn more about issues such as immigration and foreign aid.
``Whether this was a parliamentary delegation paid by government, paid by taxpayers dollars, it's important, I believe, that Canadian members of Parliament don't just sit in their constituencies or in our country,'' she said, ``because part of our responsibility has to do with Canada's role in the world.''
While her trips were sponsored by the Canadian Council for Israel Jewish Advocacy and the Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association, she also noted that she spent money out of her own pocket to visit Canadian embassy officials in Egypt and Jordan in the course of her visit to Israel last July to learn more about the Arab Spring political uprising that was emerging in the Middle East.
Rookie NDP MP Mathieu Ravignat, who represents a western Quebec riding, was the highest recipient of sponsored travel benefits in his own caucus, reporting that he had accepted $7,281.39 in the course of a two-week trip to Israel at the end of the summer in 2011. He noted that other Canadian parliamentarians, from both the Conservatives and Liberals, attended this trip, sponsored by the Canadian Council for Israel Jewish Advocacy.
``Israel is an important trading partner for Canada so I thought it was a good opportunity to understand that relationship better,'' said Ravignat, the NDP's deputy international trade critic.
``All the meetings were working meetings with various representatives of the Israeli government and civil society. I think that these trips can allow - provided that they are properly structured - that kind of learning to occur and exchange to occur.''
Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Mike De Souza and Jason Fekete
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