Video: Global News has discovered senators have spent millions of taxpayer dollars jet-setting around the world on ‘research’ trips. Jacques Bourbeau reports.
OTTAWA – There are a lot of problems with Canada’s cell phone industry: lack of competition, high roaming rates.
So not surprisingly, a few years ago, the Senate transport and communications committee decided to study the wireless sector.
But where they went roaming may surprise you – because senators jetted off to London, Paris, Brussels and Estonia.
And it appears it was first class all the way.
The Senate budgeted $10,600 a seat to fly a dozen senators and two staff members to Brussels and Estonia. The flights to London and Paris were $8,000 each.
While the upper chamber was prepared to spend more than $400,000 for the trip, the final bill was lower: $163,000.
When asked for more information, the Senate said it can’t give out information about which senators went on the trip, or details about their expenses.
Global News attempted to speak to several senators, but many didn’t want to discuss anything about the trip – even to just confirm the fact that they went to Europe.
The Senate did produce a report in June 2010 titled, “Plan For A Digital Canada.” One recommendation was that “Canada should present a strategy for an inclusive digital society”.
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Over the past five years, the Senate has spent more than $3 million travelling the country, and the world.
The Senate foreign affairs and international trade committee, spent more than $500,000 in a three-year period studying “emerging economies” in Russia and China (2009), India 2010 and Brazil (2011) including a stop in Rio De Janeiro.
“We believe it is very important for the Senate to foster relationships,” said Liberal Sen. Mobina Jaffer, who used to sit on the committee.
Fellow Liberal Senator David Smith says this kind of travel pays dividends.
“There are several Turkish members of Parliament there who are over here visiting, who want to get going the talks again on Canada-Turkey free trade, and I think a lot of that stems from the fact we were over there talking to them about it,” he said.
Over at the House of Commons, committees also do some foreign travel. Since 2008, committees have visited Afghanistan and Europe to study free trade.
But there is a big difference, says NDP ethics critic Charlie Angus.
“These Liberals and Conservative senators will do anything to defend their entitlements. We’re not getting value for the dollar, we can spend that money in much smarter ways,” he said.
“These are junkets. This is a group of people who believe that there’s a big money pot that they can reach into any time. Hey, my message to the Senate, you want to study the problems in telecom, come to Northern Ontario where we still have dialup.
“This is an abuse of the taxpayer.”
Angus said MP travel is typically limited to four or five members, and he’s seeing more work being done by video conference.
But not all Senators are on board with the upper chamber frequent flyer plan.
One Senator, who didn’t want to be identified, told Global News some of these trips are a bit “farcical.”
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