Apparently I am not the only one complaining...

Having posted on Conservative mail-outs here, here and here, apparently I am not the only one being bombarded with junk mail.

The panel that polices House of Commons rules is taking a look at free MP mail-outs amidst complaints over a blizzard of partisan Conservative flyers blanketing Canadian households.

Opposition MPs are pointing at the Tories for what they say is an unprecedented abuse of taxpayer-funded parliamentary services, and the Commons board of internal economy is examining the matter.

At issue are so-called "10-percenters" – black-and-white flyers produced on Commons printers that MPs bulk-mail to their constituents and others beyond their individual ridings. All federal parties use the practice, but the current Tory campaign appears unprecedented in its scope and tone.

According to Liberal MP Garth Turner, internal House of Commons figures show that Conservative printing costs totalled $3.2 million last year.

The Liberal bill was $1.9 million, the NDP $1.4 million and the Bloc Québécois $1.1 million, according to Turner.

Peter Van Loan stated that each mail out costs "less than a penny per mailing." Bringing out the ol'trustie calculator, rounding "less than a penny" up to a penny, and punching in the numbers.... so a penny goes into 3.2 million a total of 320,000,000 times. Wow - that gives a whole new meaning to the term "10-percenters". Instead of sending junk to 10 percent of Canadians, the Conservatives are sending junk to every Canadian ten times. Although, as El Maggie points out, she has been forgotten about over in Ottawa-Vanier, while I have received my fair share here in Ottawa Centre.

Just to nit pick - because I can - I note that no where on the Conservative mail-outs is a "we use recyclable material" indicator. This raises the following question: if the Conservatives sent out only one mail-out to each Canadian, how many trees would have to be destroyed?