Madam Speaker, Return to Written Question 4-12(5), asked by Mr. Gargan to the chairman of the Financial Management Board concerning commuting allowances for government employees.
Mr. Gargan asked if the government provides a commuting allowance for employees who must travel from their homes in Apex or Hay River to their workplaces in Iqaluit or Enterprise, respectively. The government does not provide a commuting allowance in that situation. Generally, employees choose where they wish to live and it is their responsibility to get to their workplace. The government does not compensate for this. However, in specific circumstances, a commuting allowance is paid. It is provided to employees in the Union of Northern Workers bargaining unit who are required to travel to a work site that is over eight kilometres from a settlement. In these circumstances, employees are paid duty travel kilometre rates. An example of this would be where an employee who lives in Fort Smith has to travel to a camp ten kilometres down the highway from Fort Smith.