House of Commons committee should close loophole on MPs' travel, Liberal MP says

Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen is calling on the House of Commons to close a loophole that allowed MPs travelling to political party conventions to expense hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel costs in the past year.

In a letter to Speaker Greg Fergus obtained by CBC News, Gerretsen said the loophole is allowing some MPs to bypass a House of Commons rule that bars MPs from claiming travel expenses linked to partisan political activity, «effectively making it hollow and meaningless.»

While MPs can't normally claim travel expenses for travel to partisan events, they can claim expenses for travel to a caucus meeting held at the same time and place as a party convention. MPs can claim expenses related to national caucus meetings because they're considered part of their parliamentary functions.

That loophole has allowed MPs to charge $538,314 in travel, accommodation, meals and incidentals to Parliament since May 2023 to attend caucus meetings connected to party conventions, including more than $84,000 for «designated travellers.»

«We should all view it for what it is,» wrote Gerretsen, one of the Liberal members on the Board of Internal Economy (BOIE), which oversees the House of Commons and its spending.

«Effectively, because of the loophole to which I refer, taxpayers are paying the costs for Members and their designated travelers to attend a partisan event. This is unacceptable, and we believe the loophole should be closed.»

Gerretsen called for the issue to be discussed at the BOIE's next meeting, set for Thursday. The Liberal Party has four MPs on the BOIE, plus the Speaker. The Conservatives have two MPs while the NDP and the Bloc Québécois each have one.

The NDP and the Bloc gave little indication Tuesday of whether they