Office Operating Costs
MPs are allotted a budget for office lease, staffing costs, telephone, printing and travel costs. Hiebert made local headlines in spring 2010 for his parliamentary operating costs during the 2008/2009 fiscal year. His operating costs, tallied at $637,093, were second only to Stephen Fletcher, who spent $781,000. Fletcher, however, is a quadriplegic who spent about $330,000 for specialized office equipment, staff, and travel that allowed him to carry out his duties as a Member of Parliament.
In response to the concerns raised in the community Hiebert's operating costs were reduced substantially the following year (2009/2010) ranking his costs in the bottom 40% of BC MPs, and $55,000 less than either Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal, the top spending Surrey MP, and $110,000 less than Nathan Cullen, the top spending MP in British Columbia.
Read more about this topic: Russ Hiebert
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