Ever wonder what politicians do when they go on these so called "trade missions" overseas In documentation obtained by the CTF through Freedom of Information, it was revealed there was a whole lot of partying going on.

In October of 2002, Minister of Industry, Trade and Mines MaryAnn Mihychuk and three senior bureaucrats traveled to China to lead "a 14-company delegation to help increase business with one of the province's largest and fastest-growing trading partners."

The following is an account of what they did to lead these businesses:

• $11, 669.77 - airfare
  
• $8,963.61 - hotels
  
• $414.60 - meeting room
  
• $967.76 meals
  
• $1713.93 - transportation
  
• $378.46 - interpretation fees
  
• $8500.76 - hospitality
  
• $1,306.10 - other

Total bill: $33,914.96

Perhaps the most troublesome of all the money spent was the $8500 for hospitality. The majority of this expense was for two banquets hosted by the Province in what was probably a final effort to impress the Chinese delegates. Certainly the "other" category raises some eyebrows - what could they have possibly spent $1300 on that would not have been accounted for in the food and travel When all is said and done, in a matter of weeks, one cabinet minister and three bureaucrats spent almost $34,000 - an entire year's salary for many people.

The typical government response to this waste of tax dollars is this is simply the cost of doing business. Interesting point. Unfortunately the NDP are not synonymous with sound business investment (read: True North Centre). The ridiculous amount of money spent on this trip raises red flags for taxpayers. This trip to China was just one example, who knows how much was spent on the Minister's trip to Germany in February (information pending). The point is that these types of activities set a dangerous precedent for other government members to use tax dollars in what may not be the most cost effective manner. Not too long ago the Minister of Conservation spent $14,000 on a junket up north to look at the polar bears.

There are so many other areas that this money could have been spent more effectively - the Provincial Ombudsman's office for example. The Ombudsman is responsible for investigating complaints against the Freedom of Information Act in Manitoba and currently grossly under staffed as complaints are mounting against the government's legislation. An additional $34,000 could have gone to pay for a significant portion of the salary for a new staff member.

Alas, the government has their own agenda for spending our money but here is one final question - did the government being in China add any value at all, in other words, would Manitoba companies have been able to sign the deals they did without the government

Simple answer - yes.