Renovations hike cost of Parliament Hill buses

The buses that shuffle MPs around Parliament Hill are going a little farther than they used to and it's costing taxpayers more than $500,000, newly released documents reveal.

Minutes from meetings of the Board of Internal Economy, the governing body for the House of Commons, show that funding was approved last year to extend the routes of the small buses that transport MPs to their offices and committee meetings.

Renovations to Parliament Hill buildings have caused some committee meetings to be held just down the street from the Hill and for MPs offices to be relocated. Extending the bus routes is costing $522,557, which includes salaries for seven drivers, the documents show.

The documents are a window into decisions made by the all-party body that has authority over financial and administrative matters relating to the House of Commons, its staff and the MPs themselves.

The minutes tabled June 23 and released to the media Monday also shed a bit of light on a controversy over the kirpan. The Bloc Québécois promised in January  to request the ceremonial Sikh dagger be banned from the House of Commons, following an incident at the Quebec legislature where security guards denied entry to four Sikhs wearing kirpans.

Minutes from the Jan. 31 meeting of the board indeed show a "security" matter was discussed and deferred to a later meeting so more information could be gathered. The minutes from the Feb. 14 meeting, under a heading "Security," indicate that the board "approved the recommendation of Security Services that the House of Commons maintain its current practice of allowing the kirpan to be worn within the precincts of the House."

The board also approved picking up the tab for legal fees for two MPs. In one case, the tab for a defamation lawsuit will be covered as long as the MP, who is not named, wins. In the other instance, the board approved claims payments in a settlement related to an employment matter.

Page program also gets boost

The spending estimates for 2010-11 also show that the page program, which employs Ottawa university students in the House of Commons to serve MPs, got a budget boost of $18,704. The money is going towards a four per cent raise for the pages, whose duties include delivering water and messages to MPs while they're in the House of Commons. The raise is in line with the average increase in tuition at Ottawa universities. Pages are now paid $13,358 annually and that rate will be reviewed in five years, according to the documents.

Pages were recently in the spotlight because of the silent protest conducted by one of them during the June 3 throne speech. Brigette DePape was quickly fired after she stepped into the middle of the Senate floor holding a sign that read "Stop Harper" as Gov. Gen. David Johnston read the speech.

Tracking workplace incidents

The House of Commons is also spending $106,687 to implement a new system for tracking "workplace incidents" and managing workers' compensation claims, plus $47,610 a year to maintain the system.

A new online recruitment tool for House of Commons staff is costing $148,800 to get started and will cost taxpayers $36,000 a year to operate.

The documents give a glimpse into other matters discussed by the board related to day-to-day operations and the rules that govern how MPs spend the budgets allotted to them.

The minutes reveal that on more than one occasion over the last 12 months, MPs needed reminders about how they're allowed to use House of Commons resources, such as mailing privileges. The board agreed to send memos to MPs to restate the rules they are supposed to follow.

One MP, whose name is not revealed, was asked to reimburse the House of Commons for claims that the board judged "not to be within the scope of his parliamentary functions."

Other matters discussed by the board included not allowing the rental of artwork for offices to be charged by MPs. If they want to purchase decorative items for their office, they must be less than $100, the board decided, including framing.