Senators Working on Campaigns Unfair, Says NDP

Tories and Liberals have an unfair advantage by employing taxpayer-funded senators on their campaigns, party says.

Liberal and Conservative senators working on their parties' campaigns are doing so at taxpayers' expense, the NDP charged Monday. The party says using senators gives those two parties an unfair advantage over the senator-free NDP and Bloc Québécois in the election. Senators, such as Conservative stalwart Marjory LeBreton and Liberal David Smith, have long been fixtures on the campaign trail, and are entitled to receive their $136,000 Senate salary so long as all of their campaign expenses are covered by the party. The NDP has cried foul over the practice, saying other party staffers must temporarily resign their jobs to work on a campaign, and it is urging voters to report any senator sightings on Twitter with the hashtag #sawasenator.