Nine new NDP hires approved by the House of Commons to do constituency work in Ottawa were actually placed in the party鈥檚 Montreal and Quebec City offices, documents obtained by 麻豆传媒 show.
Questions about those staffers, whose salaries are paid by taxpayers, were raised as early as 2011, when employment forms indicated they lived near Montreal.
When asked where the new employees would be working, the deputy chief of staff for the NDP leader at the time said 鈥渋n Ottawa.鈥�
Seven NDP MPs, including Guy Caron, even signed forms saying the staffers would work in Ottawa.
But the clerk of the House of Commons, Audrey O鈥橞rien, said there was no indication the staffers 鈥渨ould be located in Montreal or that their work world be carried out in co-location with a political party's office.鈥�
The NDP maintains it did nothing wrong.
NDP MP Peter Julian said the party stayed in contact with the House administration and was 鈥渙bviously following the rules.鈥�
鈥淲e had all the employment letters that indicated folks were working in Montreal,鈥� he said. 鈥淓mails indicate that as well, cellphone numbers are for Montreal area codes as well.鈥�
But the Conservatives say the NDP must pay back the money that was 鈥渋mproperly鈥� spent on satellite offices in Quebec.
鈥淭he fact is, they spent House resources improperly and they need to pay it back,鈥� said Conservative MP Randy Hoback. 鈥淚t鈥檚 reported they spent some $3-million in House resources improperly.鈥�
The Liberals also want to see the money paid back.
NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair is scheduled to appear before a House procedure committee on Thursday, when the issue will be discussed.
Mulcair has said that the party鈥檚 satellite offices are designed to help MPs with constituent outreach and were approved by the Commons administration.
But critics questioned why the NDP was preparing to open a satellite office in Saskatchewan, where the party has no MPs.
Both the Conservatives and Liberals have complained about the NDP satellite offices, prompting the Board of Internal Economy to investigate.
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