After a barrage of pressure from the media and the opposition, the Harper government has finally disclosed the expenses for turncoat MP Wajid Khan’s super-top secret, super important, non-partisan Middle Eastern trip.
Here they are:
As you’ll see over some 19 days Mr. Khan visited Damascus, Riyadh, Aman, Cairo, Jerusalem and Beruit. All the garden spots, to be sure. He spent nearly $8000 on air fare, just over $3000 on accomodations, and some $1600 on meals for a total of just under $13,000.
Then he went home, wrote his $13,000 report that he promised he’d share with everyone, his Conservative friends gave his old election opponent a patronage job, he supported Joe Volpe for the leadership, then he supported Bob Rae for the leadership, then he supported Stephane Dion for the leadership, then apparently he was upset Dion’s foreign policy wasn’t more like Michael Ignatieff’s foreign policy, and finally jumped ship to the Conservatives for reasons that seem to change by the news story.
Any-ho, did the taxpayers of Canada get value for money from their $13,000? We’re not going to be able to find out. As mentioned, the report is super-duper-tip top secret. If it was released, I mean, the Earth would stop spinning on its axis, day would become night. What’s that? You’re asking, what about all that Conservative stuff about accountability? Hey, look over there! Adscam! Liberanos and so forth!
P.S. Hey, David Emerson, could you join me over at camera three?
Hey David. How ya doin? Fabulous. Listen bud. Look at this expense report Wajid filed. Just under $8k on air fare and he hit six cities in the Middle East. Six! Including Beruit! I mean, I don’t think WestJet exactly flies there, you know what I’m sayin’?
I’m just asking…maybe you could use Wajid’s travel agent for your next trip, rather than spending $10k on a roundtrip to Geneva. You know what I’m saying big shooter?
Thanks chief.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Wajid Khan's $13,000 super secret Excellent Middle Eastern Adventure
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6 comments:
Haha,
Loved the camera three sidebar, especially the condescending nicknames, they're always funny.
I must say though, I'm reasonably impressed that Khan spent so little, compared to other government trips in the past. Even so, if there's no pay off at the end of the trip (say, in the form of a $13,000 worthy report), I guess it doesn't much matter.
I'd give him an award for frugality, but we transfered the awards budget allocation to cover a shortfall in Emerson's travel budget.
Jeez,
I lived in third world countries before and I can honestly say in $1600 on food would have lasted me at least 5 months.Where was he eating, at every bloody Marriot hotel he could find?
Seems he also took the scenic route through the middle east.
Isn't it a diplomat's job to do this kind of work in the first place?
I call bullshit. When Josee Verner racks up $4,000 in 11 days for an on call limo driver, I doubt Khan took a whirlwhind spree across the globe for $13,000. No matter how many nights he holed up with family and friends, surely he took a flight or two as an MP like Emerson.
Is he reporting his expenses in Canadian dollars?
I call bullshit. Din-dins with the family and friends aside, it cost way more that Khan is reporting.
How much of that claim is airport taxes, for instance.
Canadians deserver a true accounting of this paid adviser's spending.
$13,000! lol that wouldn't cover 1/8th of what it cost Harper et al to show up in Vancouver to reannounce the previous announcement.
I can hardly wait to see where Baird clocks in with his latest trip to Vancouver.
$13,000 in Pakistani dollars maybe, but Khan never got to Pakistan did he? Did he?
Why are the "food" costs so high? You could feed a family of, say 4, for a couple of months for less.
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