Dear Mr. Laliberte, Member of Parliament:

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be within the Canadian Taxpayer's Federation (CTF) mandate to provide travel advice. However, in the interests of saving taxpayers $254 thousand dollars, we're happy to make some suggestions.

In the last fiscal year you spent $310,000 on travel, making you the highest spending MP in Canada. At first, we were shocked by the enormity of your bill. However, after some reflection, we decided to give you the benefit of doubt. We further assume that your exorbitant travel expenses result from weekly trips to and from your breathtaking constituency of Churchill River. Indeed, it is a remote place and it isn't cheap getting back and forth.

We also understand that you prefer to take charter flights from Saskatoon to your home town of Beauval to avoid the onerous two-hour drive from La Ronge (where a regularly scheduled flight de-planes). Extensive driving can lead to back and circulatory problems, and is an obvious waste of your parliamentary time.

The CTF took 20 minutes to try and see if we can find ways to reduce your travel costs, and we hope you find our suggestions helpful.

The trip, as you're obviously aware, consists of two main legs. The first leg, from Ottawa to Saskatoon, can be easily done on Westjet at an average cost of $587 per round trip (taxes in), leaving Ottawa on Friday and returning from Saskatoon on Sunday. The second leg is from Saskatoon to your home town of Beauval.

We have identified three possible alternatives. The most convenient, for both body and mind, with its direct flight from Saskatoon to Beauval, costs taxpayers $256,000 per year, -- which is still $44,000 less than your bill last year. Perhaps you travel to places other than your constituencies We don't know, as you refuse to make your travels public. Please advise.

A cheaper option is to take a regularly scheduled flight to La Ronge, and then book a charter flight to your home town of Beauval. The flight From Saskatoon to Beauval and back again will cost $2,030. Fifty-two trips by our second option, with the connection in La Ronge, would cost $105,560. Taking this flight schedule would save taxpayers a whopping $150,000!

The third option, and the least convenient, would get you back and forth from Ottawa for approximately $56,000. This would entail driving two hours back and forth from La Ronge to Beauval, but it would save taxpayers an astonishing $254,000. Assuming you are elected for another term, driving back and forth would save taxpayers nearly a million dollars!

Of course, Mr. Laliberte, our suggestions are based on certain assumptions. We assume you are travelling back and forth to Ottawa 52 times a year. We find your excessive travel bill perplexing, given that Parliament only sat for 25 weeks last year. We stand to be corrected on this, because of your refusal to make your travel expenses public.

If you would provide your travel expenses for the past year, the CTF would gladly review them in an effort to identify possible savings.

Yours truly,
CTF Saskatchewan Director David MacLean