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MPs lap up free trips courtesy of groups, foreign governments

Doha photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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

An analysis by The Canadian Press of sponsored travel reports shows 172 MPs have taken 336 free trips over the last four years totalling $1.9 million.

And that's on top of trips taken on government business.

MPs have 60 days to declare sponsored trip that costs more than $500 and isn't paid from their own pocket or with government money.

A database of freebie trips was compiled using information from the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner's office, which covers the period from mid-2006 to the end of December.

Two destinations topped the list: Taiwan and Israel, each with 68 sponsored trips.

Liberals took 141 trips on someone else's dime, compared to 132 for Conservatives, 36 by New Democrats, and 25 by the Bloc Quebecois.

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