Charges called political vendetta

New House of Commons Board of Internal Economy to spare the NDP ?

Once the new Parliament sits, a new Board of Internal Economy (BOIE) will be formed. This is especially important for the NDP.

Many NDP MPs in the 41st Parliament are on the hook for more than $3 million in what the BOIE deemed inappropriate use of parliamentary resources for some employment, telecommunication and travel expenses. Last winter the BOIE ruled the NDP must repay $2.75 million for the unapproved satellite offices in their ridings and another $800,000 for alleged illegal mailing costs.

The BOIE focused on the satellite office costs in February, 2014, and after a year of analysis, the Board determined that “since individual Members’ office budgets were used to supplement the NDP Research Office Budget, the Board directed the House Administration to inform each of the 68 participating members, including House Officers and one former member, that salary costs incurred from May 2, 2011, to December 31, 2014, must be reimbursed as a personal expense.”

The MPs have appealed the ruling as politically motivated and are refusing to repay the $2.75 million-plus. New BOIE members could decide to drop the matter, but the Liberals had joined the Conservatives in pursuing the NDP.

The BOIE is the governing body of the House and was chaired by Conservative MP Andrew Scheer, Speaker of the House. It has equal representation from all official parties, plus the House Speaker who chairs the BOIE.

The NDP, the former official opposition, has said it has “lost all faith in the (BOIE) and has decided to turn to the Supreme Court of Canada to allow justice to run its course and to put an end to the partisan attacks by the Conservatives and Liberals.” The NDP is appealing the decision before the Court, but the file remains in limbo.

The BOIE judgment came after it had already ruled in June, 2014, that 23 NDP MPs must each personally reimburse $36,309, related to large-volume mailings. The board found the NDP mailings were illegal because they were prepared by and for the benefit of a political party.

Local MPs hammered

Hull-Aylmer’s former MP, Nycole Turmel, is answerable to $15,161 while her Parliament Hill office is on the hook for $35,633. The BOIE is also requesting $189,714 from the House Leader’s Parliament Hill office and $408,573 from the Party Leader’s Parliament Hill office. Turmel was interim leader of the NDP between July, 2011, and March, 2012. The BOIE requested $30,727 from outgoing Pontiac MP Mathieu Ravignat and $24,498 from former Gatineau MP Françoise Boivin.