A lone New Democrat member on the Commons public accounts committee has raised concerns about the financial toll of ongoing meetings investigating the $59.5 million ArriveCan program. Blacklock's Reporter says MP Blake Desjarlais from Edmonton Griesbach expressed unease about the increasing costs to taxpayers associated with the committee's scrutiny of the program."I am getting more concerned about the cost to taxpayers that these surprise meetings are having," Desjarlais remarked during a committee session.Desjarlais emphasized the need for prudence in expenditure, stating, "Canadians expect us to be frugal. They expect us to be reasonable. They expect us to use money for really good reasons."While acknowledging the importance of examining ArriveCan irregularities, Desjarlais cautioned against excessive spending on multiple committee meetings focused on the same topic. "We're continuously piling on these costs to taxpayers over and over," he asserted.To address the financial concerns, Desjarlais proposed a motion requesting an estimate of the meeting costs scheduled for May 16 to question ArriveCan executives. He highlighted the potential expenses incurred by members flying to Ottawa for the meeting.Conservative MP John Nater from Perth-Wellington, Ont., countered Desjarlais' argument, emphasizing the importance of accountability regardless of the expenses involved. "Taxpayers expect us to do the work 365 days a year regardless of when the House of Commons is in session," Nater remarked.The Commons public accounts committee, tasked with scrutinizing federal waste, has been actively investigating the ArriveCan program. Last year, the committee held numerous meetings, heard testimony from various witnesses, and published several reports, contributing to significant expenditure.
