MPs lap up free trips courtesy of groups, foreign governments

[CHIMO]

OTTAWA—The only thing better than going to the happiest place on Earth is going there for free.

Public records show that's just what Jack Layton and Olivia Chow did last summer. The New Democrat power couple stayed at a Disney World resort, where Mickey and Minnie Mouse mingle with guests, courtesy of a big labour union.

The Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union flew Layton, Chow and NDP MP Glenn Thibeault to Orlando, Fla., to speak at its annual convention in August. A few months earlier, Layton had written to the head of Loblaws urging him not to close a grocery store in Sudbury, Ont. It was a cause the union had taken up.

From Disney to Doha, MPs are lapping up free travel courtesy of foreign governments, advocacy groups and business organizations.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/992232--mps-lap-up-free-trips-courtesy-of-groups-foreign-governments?bn=1