A pricey trip for a group of Conservative MPs sponsored by an interest group and a Hungarian think-tank could soon come under the microscope by the House of Commons ethics committee.
NDP ethics critic Matthew Green served notice Monday that he will introduce a motion for the committee to take a closer look at a trip to London last June sponsored by Canadians for Affordable Energy and the Danube Institute. The trip, billed as an opportunity to discuss energy policy, included thousands of dollars in flights, hotels and ground transportation as well as a dinner at the Guinea Grill in London’s Mayfair district with $600 bottles of champagne that rung in at an estimated $6,262.
Conservative MPs Steven Ellis, Philip Lawrence, Rosemarie Falk and Shannon Stubbs were sponsored by Canadians for Affordable Energy. Conservative MP John Williamson, who founded that group, which is now run by former Liberal MP Dan McTeague, was sponsored by the Danube Institute.
Under the House of Commons rules, members of Parliament are allowed to accept sponsored travel but must disclose travel that they accept and file a report that includes details about the trip.
They’re not even in power and they’re already having spending scandals.