MPs spent roughly $2-million outsourcing comms, consultant work in 2025-26
Members of Parliament spent close to $2-million outsourcing work—from communications support to consultants to subject experts—to contract staff through the course of 2025-26.
MP contract spending is disclosed as part of the quarterly financial reports published by the House of Commons, with a supplier, description, date, and cost attached to each listing.
To try to quantify how much MPs spent outsourcing office work to individuals working on contract—rather than as full-time staff—in 2025-26, The Hill Times focused on five descriptions, falling under two broader categories. The first category is consultants and experts, compiling all contracts described as for “consultants, experts, and training instructors,” “subject matter experts,” and “research consultants.” Second was communications support, compiling all contracts described as for “professional communication services” and “communications officer and writer” (or its variants, “communications officer” and “writer”).
Expenses filed under these categories are largely tied to contract work, however, in some cases spending related to things like Intuit Mailchimp (an email marketing platform), Référence média (which offers media monitoring and press review), or Canva (a graphic design platform) are also listed, with attached amounts ranging from less than $10 to close to $300.
Similarly, other contracts that could be described as outsourced staff work were noted under other categories. The Hill Times opted to look at the categories outlined above as they were deemed most reflective of outsourced staff work overall.
The descriptors used by MPs in filing expenses are subject to change, and over the period examined, for example, the House was in the process of swapping out the “professional communication services” category with “communication officer and writer.”
MP offices “select the applicable expense category when submitting claims and provide the required supporting documentation” to the House administration, explained Olivier Duhaime, director of outreach and media relations to the House Speaker. “The House Administration provides guidance to Members directly on the appropriate categorization of expenses and may review or adjust a category where required.”
In its assessment, The Hill Times only included data from quarterly expense reports filed by MPs who were newly elected or re-elected in April 2025 (including those who have since resigned their seats).
Overall, 209 MPs filed expenses under one or more of the categories examined. That includes 121 MPs who filed expenses described as attached to consultants and experts, totalling $1,168,219 for the entire fiscal year—spanning April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026—and 158 MPs who filed expenses described as attached to communications support, totalling $819,940.
Responses from MPs regarding the decision to use the contract route, rather than to hire individuals as salaried staff, suggest that increased flexibility, the need for particular short-term expertise, and personal circumstances for contracted individuals (for example: salaried staff get benefits, which are taken out of their pay, whereas contract staff do not have those benefits or their related deductions) are among the factors considered.
Under the consultants and experts category, the highest-spending MP was Liberal Chrystia Freeland, who officially resigned her House seat on Jan. 8. Despite only being in office for seven days of the fourth quarter, a single “consultants, experts, and training instructors” contract dated to Dec. 31, 2025, and awarded to “Marco Paoli o/a [operating as] Kylemore Solutions” valued at $83,000 put Freeland at the top of the list for the entire fiscal year.
Marco Paoli is the name of a staffer who previously worked in Freeland’s Toronto constituency office, served as campaign manager for her 2019 and 2021 campaigns, and was a special assistant in her office as then-deputy prime minister and finance minister.
Paoli and Freeland could not be reached for comment by deadline.
In terms of consultants and experts, Freeland is followed by Conservative MP Jacques Gourde (Lévis–Lotbinière, Que.), who expensed a total of $73,925 in contracts tied to the consultants and experts categories examined. A majority—$40,064—were reported during the third quarter, including $21,082 to Stratcom Tendances Inc., $12,200 to Développement F.I. Sciences Inc., and $6,343 to Roger Couture (who also had a $1,344 contract described as “communications officer and writer” during that quarter).
By email in French, Gourde’s office noted that MPs have two options by which to hire individuals: by salary, or by contract, and that Gourde uses both options, with contract staff used for “mandates requiring more expertise.”
Conservative MP Scott Reid (Lanark–Frontenac, Ont.) came in third for spending under the consultants and experts category for the period examined, at $65,736 reported overall. That includes $7,968 reported in the first quarter, $25,896 in the second, and $31,872 in the third quarter, with no related expenses filed for the fourth quarter of the year.
Reid noted by email that his overall contract spending in 2025-26 was “quite modest (137th-highest).” Reid said his expenses “were primarily for a single contractor, Shawn Morrison, who had been providing a consistent set of services to my office over a period of many years.” Reid highlighted that different descriptors have been attached to Morrison’s work over the years due to changes in the House’s categories, with the most recent one used—"consultants, experts, and training instructors”—having been introduced in 2025, prior to which Morrison was billed as a “subject matter expert,” a category Reid said has now been eliminated.
The type of work undertaken by Morrison includes serving as a senior adviser to Reid, the MP said, as well as monitoring e-petitions, maintaining and updating the MP website, organizing riding events and outreach, accompanying Reid to riding events, updating the office database, and collating, tracking, and reporting expenses and budgets. Reid noted that Morrison has previously served as his campaign manager, but highlighted that contract services cease when a writ is dropped for an election.
Fourth-highest in terms of consultant and expert contract spending is rookie Conservative MP Matt Strauss (Kitchener South–Hespeler, Ont.) at $61,232 for the fiscal year, most of which—$49,832—was reported during the fourth quarter, including $42,600 in contracts attributed to the Wilson Consulting Group.
In response to The Hill Times, Strauss noted his office salary spending ranks near the bottom for the fourth quarter of 2025-26. Indeed, he lands at 320th on the list in that respect.
“When staffing and contractor costs are considered together, overall spending was roughly average,” said Strauss by email. “It doesn’t much matter to me if workers request to be on staff or on contract, so long as the job gets done on budget.”
Fifth-highest is another first-time MP, Conservative Gaétan Malette (Kapuskasing–Timmins–Mushkegowuk, Ont.), who spent a total of $41,150 related to consultants and experts, including $31,150 in the fourth quarter alone—among that, $15,000 went to Hughes and Associates, $10,000 to Jean Gauthier, and $6,150 to Nathan Taïbe.
Malette did not respond to a request for comment.
Closing out the top 10 in terms of contract spending on consultants and experts for the year are: Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali (Brampton–Chinguacousy Park, Ont.) at $32,470; Conservative MP Kathy Borrelli (Windsor–Tecumseh–Lakeshore, Ont.) at $30,297; Liberal MP Marianne Dandurand (Compton–Stanstead, Que.) at $29,231; Conservative MP Tamara Kronis (Nanaimo–Ladysmith, B.C.) at $29,141; and Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson (St. John’s East, N.L.) at $27,971.
Looking to communications-related contract spending, first-time Conservative MP Rhonda Kirkland (Oshawa, Ont.) ranks as the highest such spender in 2025-26, at $53,262 overall spread fairly evenly between the second, third, and fourth quarters, all of which went to Stanley Street Communications.
In an emailed response to The Hill Times, Kirkland’s office said “All expenditures are made in accordance with House of Commons rules to ensure Oshawa residents receive timely, professional service and clear communication from their Member of Parliament.”
Second-highest in communications related contract spending is Kronis at $36,410, split between the third and fourth quarters. That includes $29,500 to Mobilize Media Group and $4,660 to Anne-Lynn Design under the “communications officer and writer” category.
Kronis did not respond to a request for comment.
In third is Liberal MP Parm Bains (Richmond East–Steveston, B.C.) at $30,400 spread across all four quarters, all but $400 of which went to Dishoom Media (the rest went to “Mailchimp c/o [care of] The Rocket Science Group”).
By email, Bains explained that he contracts out “website maintenance, social media services, videos and editing.”
“These costs amount to less than it would cost to hire an additional full-time staff with benefits,” he continued. “I will continue to find efficiencies in my office budget to ensure the operational dollars I receive, to run my office, generate the maximum return for my constituency.”
Fourth in terms of the communications contract spending examined is Conservative MP Aaron Gunn (North Island–Powell River, B.C.) at $26,052 for 2025-26. Most of that—$18,995—was reported in the fourth quarter, including $7,000 to Fountainhead Communications, and $6,000 to Woods Media Company under the “communications officer and writer” description.
Gunn did not respond to a request for comment.
The fifth-highest spender in terms of contract comms work is Liberal MP Jenna Sudds (Kanata, Ont.) at $24,100 spread throughout the year, including $21,450 to Meike Buechler.
Sudds did not respond to a request for comment.
The rest of the top 10 for communications-related contract spending under the categories examined includes: Conservative MP Greg McLean (Calgary Centre, Alta.) at $23,620; Thompson at $22,125; Government House Leader and Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon (Gatineau, Que.) at $18,750; Liberal MP Hedy Fry (Vancouver Centre, B.C.) at $18,730; and Conservative MP Gabriel Hardy (Montmorency–Charlevoix, Que.) at $18,559.
The basic office budget for MPs for 2025-26 was $429,600. MPs also receive electoral and geographic supplements depending on the population and physical size of their ridings, and an extra supplement for MPs in “areas of the country where transportation and communication facilities may be restricted,” as explained in the Members’ Allowances and Services Manual.
The Hill Times