Tory MP defends sending of flyers to Liberal ridings
Last Updated: Monday, August 25, 2008 | 11:08 AM AT
CBC News
New Brunswick Conservative MP Mike Allen makes no apologies for the use of his House of Commons budget to send flyers into ridings other than his own, particularly Liberal ridings.
The flyers are known as "10-percenters," and residents of Fredericton and Moncton have been receiving a lot of them in recent weeks, some coming from as far away as Ontario or the Prairies.
Federal MPs are allowed to send flyers to any riding in Canada, as long as they are not sent to more than 10 per cent of households in the riding.
Tories have been using them to highlight their positions on drugs, crime, the seal hunt and on the federal Liberals' green plan.
The MP for Tobique-Mactaquac, Allen said there's political gain to be had using the flyers, particularly in ridings such as Fredericton and Madawaska-Restigouche, where he feels his party may have a chance to defeat the Liberals in the next election.
"I think it's important to us to get that message out as to what we're doing, and those two [ridings], from my perspective, would be obvious ones that I would be willing to send 10-percenters into," Allen said.
Federal Liberals complain that the flyers should be devoted strictly to parliamentary business.
Fredericton Liberal MP Andy Scott said he has received several 10-percenters at his home. "What's happening now is that the Conservatives have taken that privilege, really, and are using it for partisan purpose, and the people of Canada are paying."
Allen said the flyers do deal with parliamentary business.
"Part of that is to look at policy differences that are being discussed in the House of Commons, which are basically what these pieces are," he said.
Scott said the recent flood of 10-percenters is another sign the Tories are gearing up for a fall election.
