MPs taking all-expenses-paid trips

Federal MPs, their spouses, and staff racked up nearly 2 million worth of free travel and gifts from foreign nationals and lobby groups between 2005 and 2009, according to a report by CBC News. The all-expenses trips aren’t audited and are not recorded by the Ethics Commission with great detail. The trips are exempt from federal rules, and since no party opposes them, the public rarely knows how many trips are taken and by who. In 2009, 54 MPs accepted sponsored trips, with Taiwan, Israel and China proving to be popular destinations over the past five years. Critics say the system is a recipe for corruption.

CBC News