Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his keen interest in the minister's consultations with partners and stakeholders at every available opportunity, including mealtimes.
The hon. member's math is a bit interesting. I suppose one could average out meals as one wishes and say that if one had 25 meals over x months, that it must be so much for one particular meal. That does not take into consideration whether one meal was for 12 people and the other meal was for 2 and the other meal was for 8. Of course we know, Madam Speaker, as people who often have to feed our families that the number of people around the table can increase the cost substantially.
However, the hon. member knows of the demands on the time of a minister for discussions with interested parties, with groups and colleagues who are interested in citizenship and immigration or other things like that. It often means informal gatherings over lunches and dinners. This is especially true of course for this particular minister and his staff.
In such cases Parliament has decided on a series of guidelines that individual servants of the crown or their superiors use to claim for expenses associated with carrying out duties of the Government of Canada. They are called Treasury Board guidelines. I think these guidelines are fair, reasonable and open and I think the minister followed all of these guidelines.
The Treasury Board guidelines indicate that hospitality activities can include meals or similar activities when the government is honouring an outstanding Canadian or organizing official conferences. Such activities can also take place during a visit to Canada by representatives of national or international agencies, who are involved in activities like those of the government or who want to learn more about and enjoy life in Canada, or during official discussions with persons other than government employees. This also applies when other officials meet for the first time.
The expenses in question were incurred within the framework of these guidelines, and more specifically within the guidelines on maximum deductible expenses. The minister and his staff fully complied with the Treasury Board guidelines.
The government is fully committed to accountability and transparency. That is why all of these costs must be fully accounted for and disclosed to the public on each departmental website on a quarterly basis within 30 days following the last day of the quarter. In fact this was done.
I want to assure the House that the minister and his staff as in the past will continue to be open and accessible, and will meet with colleagues and members of the opposition parties to listen to their concerns, to try to find mutual solutions to their problems.
If the minister's schedule, as we well know ministers' schedules are, is so busy during the day that very early in the morning, very late in the evening, or over mealtimes are the only times the minister has to conduct these meetings, then so be it. I do not think it is fair to ask people to pay out of their own pockets in order to have a meal with the minister and talk to him.