OTTAWA – The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is criticizing the federal government for quietly approving a hefty increase to MPs’ office budgets.
Spokesman Andrew Wudrick says it is questionable whether MPs should get $25 million more to spend on expenses when the government is facing a large deficit.
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The parliamentary committee that makes administrative and financial decisions for the House of Commons approved a 20 per cent increase to the office budgets on Dec. 10, pointing out they have been frozen since 2010.
Wudrick says the vote was secretive and should have been made public at the time.
The changes to the budgets take effect in April.