Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 15/02) - The high cost of travel is about to become less relevant for cabinet ministers.

A quiet policy change has increased the number of flights ministers representing constituencies outside Yellowknife are entitled to and expands the range of travel that can be funded from the public purse.

Scheduled to come into effect April 1, the new guidelines increase the number of round trips from 32 annually to 40.

The non-portfolio ministerial travel policy begins with a broad definition of the travel that deserves to be government-funded.

"Ministers are deemed to be on duty all the time therefore any travel, other than travel of a purely personal nature (i.e. vacation travel), is parliamentary or government related," the policy states. "When I read it, non-portfolio travel to me says ministers can go golfing in P.E.I or take their spouses to see My Fair Lady in Toronto," said Yellowknife South MLA Brendan Bell Tuesday.

Two of the round trips can be taken anywhere in Canada. The remaining six can be taken anywhere within the Northwest Territories.

Under the old guidelines travel was limited to trips between the capital and ministers' constituencies. The policy was aimed at helping out-of-town ministers maintain links with their families and home area while temporarily living in the capital.

Responding to a request from Frame Lake MLA Charles Dent, premier Stephen Kakfwi released the new guidelines Monday.

On Tuesday, the premier said cabinet staff modelled it on the policy that applies to federal cabinet ministers. The new guidelines would provide increased flexibility, allowing ministers and their family members to attend events.

"We don't need to get all worked up about this," the premier said. He offered to have staffers answer questions about the policy.

"It's a political decision," said Dent. "I want to know why politicians felt it necessary to tell their staff to do this."

All trips ministers take in their capacity as ministers are funded out of departmental travel budgets.

Each MLA also has a budget to cover the cost of constituency business, including travel to and from the capital.

Kakfwi left early on Tuesday to catch a flight to Vancouver. He and Mackenzie Delta MLA David Krutko were among the speakers at an environmental conference.