Today I’m taking a break from the cheap vitriol and character assassination of the Alberta election and seeking comfort in my muse, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna.

Thanks to an order paper question from rookie Calgary MP Tom Kmiec, we now have a better idea of just how much money the Liberals, under the leadership of McKenna, blew on themselves and their friends at the UN Climate Conference in Katowice, Poland last December.



He’s a smart cookie and asked some excellent questions, as I’ll show you today.

The answers he received aren’t all that surprising. The Liberals spared no expense on themselves and their pals, and four months later, the final tally still isn't in.

Transport, including airfare taxi and ground transportation was $57,441. Meals and incidentals amounted to $11,051. Lodging totalled $227,115. Equipment shipping fees totalled $1,667. And “Other” costs, were nearly 14 bucks.

Hospitality costs have yet to be processed but I think it’s safe to assume those are going to be astronomical.

The tentative bill for the Poland climate expedition, without hospitality costs, is nearly half a million dollars - a whopping $400,453!

Of the 138 person delegation, seven trudged off to Poland for the sole purpose of running communications. This might seem like a lot but is actually the only good news from this expensive fiasco.

Normally, McKenna has an army of 24 people running her flub-prone communications and social media accounts.

Finally, McKenna did her part for the environment by leaving 17 of her staff at home.