Industry Minister Tony Clement has drawn fire from opposition parties over federal spending for the G8 summit in his central Ontario riding of Muskoka-Parry Sound. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

The Opposition Liberals are accusing Industry Minister Tony Clement of using this month's G8 summit as an excuse for pork-barrel spending in his riding.

The Conservatives have been under fire from opposition critics in recent days over the estimated $1.1 billion price tag for security at the summit in Ontario's Muskoka region and the subsequent G20 summit in Toronto.

Liberal MP Dominic Leblanc led off Thursday's question period by asking the government why Clement approved almost $400,000 for the restoration of a vintage steamboat in his riding, Muskoka-Parry Sound, when the restoration won't be complete until after the summit ends. He called it an example of the Conservatives' out-of-control spending practices for the dual summits.

"What for? To taxi the leaders from Muskoka to Toronto?" Leblanc told the House. "Why are Canadians paying for Steamboat Tony's latest ride?"

Responding for the government while Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in Europe, Transport Minister John Baird replied by quoting Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff's statement of support for Huntsville's hosting of the G8 summit and his position that the federal government "should take the large majority of costs."

Clement, who was in Toronto on Thursday for a question-and-answer event about his copyright protection bill, has faced recent calls for his dismissal from opposition parties after it was revealed he appeared in a promotional video for a private company based in his riding that pitched environmentally friendly cleaning products to China.

'New environment' after 9/11: Baird

The government has defended the security costs as necessary for protecting dozens of world leaders and thousands of delegates and journalists during its "unprecedented" near-simultaneous hosting of dual international events at separate sites.

But Liberal MP Mike Savage said another Conservative cabinet member, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, was "frothing with outrage" in 1995 when he was spokesman for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and condemned the $28 million spent on that year's G7 summit in Halifax as too costly.

"Where is the outrage now?" Savage asked.

Baird replied that "a lot has changed" in the time since the Halifax summit, citing the "new environment" after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

"We don't want to spend this money, Mr. Speaker; we have to spend this money," the minister said. "We will do our job to ensure not just the leaders and the thousands of delegates are safe, but the people in Muskoka and Toronto are safe, too."

The G8 summit runs June 25-26 in Huntsville and the G20 runs June 26-27 in Toronto.