MPs plan to avoid cutting their office budgets over the coming year by offering staff extra time off instead of automatic vacation payments.
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The September decision by the all-party Board of Internal Economy came after approving $30.3 million in planned cuts by 2014-15 as part of government-wide austerity measures -- about seven per cent of the annual House of Commons budget. Nearly half of the cuts ($13.5 million) were assigned to MPs and House officers such as speakers, party leaders, and whips.
MPs had a basic office budget of $284,700 for 2011-12, which has been frozen, according to Government Whip Gordon O'Connor. Included are employee salaries, service contracts, hospitality and events, advertising, printing, and office expenses such as equipment and leases.
Also included are 64 return flights per year, which can be used by the MP, a spouse or other designated traveller, dependant, or eligible employee. That number has not been reduced, although MPs are being encouraged to buy multiple flight passes to save money.
The other $16.8 million in cuts were assigned to committees, parliamentary associations, parliamentary exchanges, and the House of Commons administration -- which is responsible for vacation pay.
O'Connor told CPAC Tuesday that the decision was a response to some staff taking time off while still receiving lump-sum vacation payments.
Asked why it was important to maintain MP office budgets at current levels, O'Connor said: "MPs have a responsibility to meet the needs of their constituents. They have to address their needs locally and they need to address them here. So we can't cut them that far that they can't do their jobs."
Here's how the policy is recorded in board's Sept. 24 minutes, tabled yesterday in the House of Commons:
"The Board agreed that Members' staff be granted vacation leave in lieu of automatic lump sum vacation payments, effective January 2014. The Board further agreed that this initiative would obviate the necessity for proposed cuts to the Members' Office Budget (MOB) for fiscal year 2012-13," according to the official minutes.
House Speaker Andrew Scheer chaired the meeting, which included O'Connor, Conservative MP Rob Merrifield, NDP House Leader Nathan Cullen, NDP Whip Nycole Turmel, and Liberal Whip Judy Foote.
Three weeks later, the board "took note" of an "implementation strategy ... on the abolishment of the automatic vacation payment for Members' staff in lieu of vacation leave being paid."
Other highlights from the minutes, which span from May to October:
- Elimination of the accommodation allowance for the Speaker of the House of Commons and deputy speakers. The speaker has an apartment inside Parliament's Centre Block and an official residence at the Kingsmere estate in Gatineau Park, across the Ottawa River.
- More information was sought concerning the legal fees of an MP involved in a defamation action.
- The board refused an MP's request for an exception to the rule that forbids hiring an immediate family member.
The Board of Internal Economy oversees House of Commons expenses and meets in camera. Decisions are often published with little additional information, often involving confidential legal and personnel issues involving MPs and staff.
-Andrew Thomson
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