The Liberal Party moved a motion in the House of Commons today that would, if passed, encourage the Conservatives to show leadership in cutting government waste by rolling back over $1 billion in partisan expenditures, including “ten-percenter” mass mailings.

“If Conservatives were serious about cutting waste, they would start by ending their billion-dollar spending spree on advertising, private jets, consultants, and ten-percenters,” said Liberal MP Wayne Easter. “Curbing the abuse of ten-percenters in out-of-riding mailings alone would save in the neighbourhood of $20 million, which is more savings than the Conservatives have found to date.”

Conservative MPs accounted for 62% of ten-percenter printing costsin 2008-09, compared to 16% for the Liberals.  An estimated 120 million ten-percenters are sent annually.

Ten-percenters cost taxpayers approximately $30 million annually, including $10 million for printing costs, $19 million for postage, and $1 million for mail preparation.  The cost of out-of-riding ten-percenters is estimated at $20 million annually.

“The Conservatives have sunk to scandalous depths in their abuse of this privilege, both in the quantity and content of the mailings,” continued Mr. Easter. “Taxpayers are disgusted to be paying for Conservative slander like accusing Irwin Cotler of anti-Semitism in his own riding.”

Liberal MP Irwin Cotler has a privilege motion before the House of Commons to protest Conservative attacks on him through ten-percenters.

“The government’s refusal to reform this practice would show that their cost-cutting exercise is a charade,” Mr. Easter concluded. “Canadians are sick of receiving this trash in the mail – which is why we hope all parties can support trimming this program in a manner that is fair for all parties.”

Liberals have called on the government to trim over $1 billion in wasteful partisan expenditures, including $800 million on government advertising and travel and $350 million on management consultants.