MPs call on House to set new limits on 'slanderous' political flyers MPs spent $10-million on partisan political flyers last year. By CYNTHIA MÜNSTER, HARRIS MACLEOD Published November 23, 2009

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MPs, who spent $10-million on partisan political flyers last year, say the pamphlets are getting increasingly vicious and are calling on the Commons Board of Internal Economy to set new rules.

Conservative MPs, who were accused of reaching a new political low last week for sending 'Ten-per-centers' into large Liberal Jewish ridings characterizing Liberal MPs as anti-Semitic in an effort to target swing ridings, were some of the top spenders on flyers last year. Of the 40 top-spending MPs on flyers, 38 out of 40 are Conservatives.

Conservative MP Peter Goldring (Edmonton East, Alta.), who spent $85,234 on mailings in 2008-9, and was the fifth highest spender on Householders and 'Ten-per-centers' last year, told The Hill Times that it came as "a little bit of a surprise" and said he will be "scrutinizing" his expenses and trim back on the number of brochures sent out.

Mr. Goldring said most of his expenses came from agreeing to party requests to send flyers out to other ridings and although he sees no problem with this practice which all parties do, Mr. Goldring also said the Commons Board of Internal Economy should review the rules on the content of the 'Ten-per-centers' and cut back on spending. MPs can send 'Ten-per-centers', a one-page flyer, outside to other ridings to a numbers of households equivalent to 10 per cent of those in the MPs' ridings as often as they want, as long as the flyers are different from each other.

"We have to ultimately be responsible for the public's money, it's taxpayers money, so whatever we can do, particularly in these economic times, certainly would not hurt and we have to be cognizant of that," said Mr. Goldring.

Liberal democratic reform critic Marlene Jennings (Notre Dame de Grâce-Lachine, Que.) said Conservatives have been "flooding" opposition-held ridings with "highly political, highly partisan [flyers], that have nothing to do with communicating government programs to constituents or electors."

Ms. Jennings said she wants the Commons Board of Internal Economy to review the 'Ten-per-center' political flyers, which she said has changed over the years and become more partisan and "quite disagreeable." Ms. Jennings said Householders still remain useful across parties to communicate with constituents.

The board has the power to change the House rules but unless such a decision is made, any discussion on the subject is confidential, said board spokesperson and Liberal MP Marcel Proulx (Hull-Aylmer, Ont.).

For the fiscal year of 2008-2009, MPs spent $10-million on printing, which includes the quarterly Householders and the 'Ten-per-centers.'

All parties use the 'Ten-per-centers' to target swing ridings.

NDP MP Olivia Chow (Trinity-Spadina, Ont.), the top tenth spender on printing services, who spent $78,605 in the last fiscal year, said she finds 'Ten-per-centers' very useful.

"It's a good service, it's important, we do live in a democracy, democracy is the government having $300-million to advertise on the economic plan and $10-million on signs, whatever, they have their millions, and some of us lowly MPs have some money to do mailing twice a month, I see absolutely nothing wrong with that," said Ms. Chow.

She said she uses the political flyers to inform constituents and people from neighbouring ridings of events going on in the community and for partisan communications, such as campaigns against the Harmonized Sales Tax.

Declared Ms. Chow: "It's partisan, we just come from very partisan discussions, that's what it's all about. I don't care what other people do, it's within budget, I didn't go over limit and people in my riding...I let them know what's going on here and they're very appreciative. I don't send out lots of partisan stuff, but hey, HST is partisan, it's NDP versus the Conservatives, that's partisan, there's nothing wrong pointing that out."

Over the years, MPs say the 'Ten-per-centers' and printing costs have become more prevalent and have gone from $4.1-million in 2000-2001 to $10-million last year.

Last week opposition MPs were angered by 'Ten-per-centers' sent by Conservative MPs to four ridings with a high percentage of Jewish residents in which they compared themselves with the Liberals and painted themselves as better at "fighting anti-Semitism abroad," fighting terrorism and supporting Israel.

Liberal MP Joe Volpe (Eglinton-Lawrence, Ont.), whose riding was targeted by the Conservatives, called it a "new low" and said the rules need to change so that flyers are reviewed more thoroughly before they are sent out.

On Thursday, Liberal MP Irwin Cotler (Mount Royal, Que.) raised on a point of privilege over the flyers, saying they're "slanderous, damaging and prejudicial to the Liberal Party" and asked the Conservative party to cease and desist and apologize.

House Speaker Peter Milliken (Kingston and the Islands, Ont.) said he will be looking into it and on Thursday he decided that on an earlier question of privilege on 'Ten-per-centers' sent by Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott (Saskatoon-Wanuskewin) into NDP MP Peter Stoffer's (Sackville-Eastern Shore, N.S.) riding on the gun registry, may have breached Parliamentary privilege and asked the House Affairs Committee to look into the issue.

Mr. Milliken agreed that the flyers were misleading on Mr. Stoffer's voting record.

cmunster@hilltimes.ca

The Hill Times

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