Tories, Liberals lambaste NDP over Saskatoon outreach job

An NDP job posting in Saskatoon is coming under heavy criticism in Ottawa.

Last week, the federal New Democrats posted a job for an "outreach" officer in Saskatoon to be paid for with public money.

The full-time employee of leader Thomas Mulcair'sofficeis meant to help members of Parliament outside of the national capital.

However the NDP does not have any MPs in this province and hasn't elected one since 2000.

Both the federal Liberals and Conservatives are asking for an investigation by the Parliament's Board of Internal Economy.

"Any reasonable person who reads this job description may come to the conclusion that the NDP is using Parliamentary resources to hire field workers to prepare for the next federal election campaign," Liberal MP Scott Andrews said in a letter to Andrew Scheer, the Saskatchewan MP and House Speaker who is chair of the Board of Internal Economy.

Saskatchewan Conservative MP Randy Hoback also wrote to Scheer.

"The rules are very clear," he said. "You cannot use House of Commons funds to pay for political party functions or activities."

The next federal election is tentatively scheduled for October 19, 2015.