Expensive questions: It cost taxpayers $150,000 to answer a single query from a Liberal MP

It cost taxpayers an estimated $1.2-million to answer written questions from MPs – including $150,000 on a single query from a Liberal MP, new figures reveal.

The questions, 305 of them, were all tabled in the House of Commons during a three-month period this year, and they were wide-ranging.

For instance, a written question from NDP MP Peter Stoffer about IT spending at the Department of Defence, Public Security and other federal agencies cost $15,733 to answer. It cost $15,358 to study the kinds of backdrops the government used when making announcements between February 2011 and June 2012 — a question asked by Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux, of Winnipeg North. Mr. Lamoureux tabled four questions on June 19, for a total cost of $46,228.

NDP MP Alexandrine Latendresse’s question about expenses related to engraved letterheads used by the Conservatives was answered after $21,600 of research. The Quebec-City area MP submitted three questions on May 2, racking up a $39,000 bill.

And then there was Liberal MP Frank Valeriote, who asked a detailed question about the government’s vehicle procurement that, the government says, took $150,000 worth of work to answer.

The $1.2-million figure came in response to a written question from Tory backbencher Brian Jean, who feels the opposition should be limited in the number of written questions it puts to the government. His query itself cost the government $5,669.

Members of Parliament are allowed to submit written questions to the government, and often do to receive more detailed information from federal departments than they might obtain during the daily oral Question Period. The government is required to respond to written queries within 45 days.

The information is gathered by federal staffers at a rate of about $60 per hour, per employee.

But Liberal MP David McGuinty says the figures released on the cost of questions is just a diversionary tactic to intimidate parliamentarians.

“Let me get this straight, the Conservatives can put a price on the order [paper] questions but can’t seem to cost the F-35,” Mr. McGuinty said. “But they’ve spent hours and hours figuring out how much these questions cost.”

The government spent more than $6,000 researching Mr. McGuinty’s query on funding cuts to Canadian libraries.

Original Article
Source: national post
Author: Christopher Curtis