Figures showing the expenditures for MPs were released in late March, showing that NDP leader Jagmeet Singh spends the most of all party leaders, while Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre spends much less than his counterparts.
The data released by the House of Commons shows expenditures for nearly 350 MPs. Three quarters of the fiscal 2023-24 year have been released thus far.
During the fiscal year’s first three quarters, from April 1 to December 31, 2023, Singh spent a total of $533,535.23.
On the other end of the spectrum, Poilievre spent only $143,201.57. He was one of the only MPs on the list with absolutely zero expenses for “hospitality” and “travel.” While a handful of other MPs had zero expenses in that category, no other leaders did.
The hospitality category includes hospitality expenses incurred for events. The travel category comprises travel expenses charged to the MP’s office budget and under the travel points system.
Travel expenses can largely account for the large gap in expenses between Singh and Poilievre. Singh’s riding of Burnaby South is approximately 4,000 kilometres from Parliament Hill, while Poilievre’s riding of Carleton is in Ottawa.
Singh spent $186,826.08 on travel alone during the three fiscal quarters. Meanwhile, he spent $3,953.78 on hospitality.
During the same three quarters, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spent $216,458.67.
As for Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet, he spent $311,577.64 over the same period.
Party leaders have higher expenses for running their parties than they do as individual MPs. When comparing only costs as MPs, not as party leaders, Singh has the highest personal expenditures, while Poilievre has the lowest.
The two other categories measured in the data are salaries, including the salaries of the MPs employees, and contracts, including all other expenses incurred by MPs, such as service contracts, advertising, gifts, constituency office leases, office operations, and training.
Singh spent $221,285.01 on salaries during the three fiscal quarters and $121,470.36 on contracts. Comparatively, Poilievre spent only $67,559.87 on salaries and $58,714.36 on contracts.
Trudeau spent $151,977.5 on salaries and $57,958.09 on contracts. Blanchet spent $157,474.5 on salaries and $104,434.07 on contracts.
Expenses for party leaders include costs not only as MPs but also for their roles that extend beyond typical MP duties. These leaders often serve as Presiding Officers and House Officers, roles that involve overseeing parliamentary sessions and managing parliamentary affairs.
These positions necessitate additional expenditures for things like staff salaries, official travel, and event hosting.
About 25 MPs are allotted budgets in addition to their expenses as individual MPs.
During the last fiscal quarter of 2023, between October 1 and December 31, 2023, taxpayers paid $1,124,664.85 for Poilievre’s expenses as leader of the official opposition. They paid an additional $35,463.92 for Stornoway, Poilievre’s official residence — which is given to the prime minister, official opposition leader, and Speaker of the House of Commons.
Conversely, taxpayers paid $330,994.71 for Singh’s role as a leader of another opposition party.
Taxpayers lost $746,518.53 for Trudeau’s role as Prime Minister and $323,212.02 for Blanchet’s role as leader of another opposition party.
The Conservative party has 118 MPs, while the NDP has 24, and the Bloc Québecois has 32. The Liberals have 156.
The per-member cost to taxpayers was highest during the third fiscal quarter for the NDP, at $13,791 per member, followed by the Bloc at $10,100 per member, Conservatives at $9,531 per member, and Liberals at $4,785 per member.