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OTTAWA — The NDP is calling on the federal ethics watchdog to investigate Liberal MP Nicola Di Iorio, who has been absent from the House of Commons since the summer, claiming he’s been collecting a salary and benefits without representing his constituents in parliament.

“What kind of prime minister would condone this kind of behaviour?” NDP MP Nathan Cullen asked Tuesday in the House of Commons. “Can Liberals not understand that it is exactly this sense of entitlement that drives Canadians crazy?”

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In a Nov. 8 letter to ethics commissioner Mario Dion, Cullen and fellow NDP MP Charlie Angus say Di Iorio has accepted $93,000 in salary and benefits since he first announced his intention to resign on Apr. 25, despite having “returned to practicing law with a Montreal-based legal firm.” Di Iorio will not formally resign his seat until January.

“Canadians are rightly concerned about the ethical implications of a member neglecting their duties in the House to pursue other career interests with the acknowledgement of the prime minister himself,” they wrote.