Thomas Mulcair forced to face committee over NDP ‘outreach’ offices

OTTAWA — NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair will face an unexpected grilling from MPs after being ordered to testify before a parliamentary committee about his party’s ‘‘outreach” offices around the country, which are partially funded through the House of Commons budget...

...When Mr. Mulcair sits down before the committee, in a rare appearance by a party leader, he will answer accusations that his party has misused parliamentary funds for partisan purposes, either through the satellite offices or through taxpayer-funded mailouts the NDP has sent around the country.

The NDP has outreach offices in Montreal and Quebec City as well as Saskatchewan, where the NDP has not a single current MP.

“There’s a distinction and it has to be made on [work you do on] behalf of the constituents you represent … and electioneering,” said Conservative MP Blake Richards, who first proposed calling Mr. Mulcair to testify. “They don’t seem to care or understand that there’s a difference.”