Prime Minister Stephen Harper wants to trim operating costs in Ottawa, and Conservative MPs held a secret meeting on Wednesday to look at how they can curb spending -- including parliamentary perks that some want to protect.
While MPs at the meeting weren't keen to reveal what was discussed, it appears the government could cut up to 10 per cent of the parliamentary budget, CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported.
The annual budget for the Parliament of Canada in this fiscal year is $586,331,000. That includes operating costs for the Senate, the House of Commons, the Library of Parliament.
A 10-per-cent cut could mean about $58.6 million in savings for taxpayers.
While it's expected that MP salaries of $157,731 will be frozen this year, some other key cuts could include:
- A scaling back of MP office budgets
- A drop on round-trip flights for MPs from 64 to 52
- Eliminating all business-class travel on flights
Tony Clement, president of the Treasury Board, has publicly mused that any cuts should be balanced.
"You have to be fair to the employee, which in this case is the MPs, and you have to be fair to the taxpayers," he said.
But Parliament is the only federal department that doesn't publicly post its expenditures. Other departments are required to make their costs public. And the meeting called by Prime Minister Stephen Harper took place behind closed doors.
Insiders say that Labour Minister Lisa Raitt teared up at last week's caucus meetings because she is concerned that fewer free flights would mean less time with her family and her young children.
And for once, it appears that MPs from all sides of the political spectrum are united against serious cuts.
"There is a lot of work and effort being done by MPs here in Ottawa. They work long days and long hours, so I certainly empathize with them," said Conservative Yukon MP Ryan Leef.
Edmonton NDP MP Linda Duncan has also raised issue with cutbacks on travel, since it would remove opportunities for discussions with voters, she said.
"I would hope they wouldn't cut back on that travel, because that enables constituents to talk directly to us."
Sources say that no decisions have been made, and that more meetings on the proposed cuts are planned.
But so far, it's not clear if MP pensions will come under any increased scrutiny.
