Commons Committee Asks NDP MPs to Pay Canada Post

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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The House of Commons committee monitoring the MPs’ spending, the Board of Internal Economy, has concluded that the NDP MPs broke rules allowing them free mailing privileges and hence they are required to repay $1.17 million. Revealing the board’s finding on Wednesday evening, the spokesperson of the committee, Conservative Whip John Duncan, said the NDP MPs owe approximately $36,000 to the House of Commons and another $1.13 million to Canada Post.

The board was tasked to investigate the allegations that the NDP MPs sent out 1.9 million pieces of mail using their parliamentary franking privileges that breached rules against using the mailings for partisan party purposes, rather than communication with constituents. However, while explaining the committee’s findings, Duncan refrained from announcing which MPs were found guilty to have breached the rules and also avoided explaining how they do it. According to Duncan, the House would communicate with Canada Post to inform which mailings were ineligible and said it was incumbent on the NDP MPs to pay off these costs, even if the House couldn’t compel them to do so.

Meanwhile on the other hand, the NDP claims that the Conservative and Liberal MPs on the committee have gathered to use their majority of the board and turned the proceedings into a “kangaroo court.” In a statement issued by NDP House Leader, Peter Julian, he said that “none of this would stand up in a court of law” and explained that “no bylaw has been cited as being broken. They’re not pointing exactly what was against the rules.”