OTTAWA—The federal government forked out at least $239,000 for Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Middle East trip with a delegation of more than 200 people, according to a preliminary estimate obtained by the Star.

In his seven-day visit to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan in January, Harper was joined by a group of community, religious and business leaders that included 21 rabbis.

There’s now an estimate from the department of foreign affairs on how much the trip cost — $239,429. The bulk of the expense — $118,771 — went to accommodation. Another $93,985 was spent on travel and transportation; $12,662 on data communication; $1,062 on protocol hospitality, $2,437 on privy council costs; $2,397 on supplies and other professional services.

Harper spent four days in Israel and that’s where most of the expenses were incurred — $181,473. Just a small number of the delegates were with Harper during his three days in Jordan and as a result the price tag rang in at just $22,496. Harper’s half-day visit to the West Bank incurred costs of $1,217.

Before the visit, Harper spokesperson Jason MacDonald said the size of the delegation reflected the importance of the trip.

“There is significant interest in the trip. This is an important trip,” he told reporters ahead of the visit, Harper’s first to Israel.

But NDP MP Paul Dewar said Thursday that questions remain regarding how delegates were chosen and whether it represented good value for taxpayers.

“How is it that certain people were chosen to go and have their bill paid for,” he said in an interview.

Dewar said it wasn’t clear from Harper’s itinerary in Israel — where he was honoured with a bird sanctuary and a doctorate — why such a large delegation needed to join him.

And while there were also business people as part of the delegation, the trip featured few trade-related announcements, beyond a commitment by Israel and Canada to discuss expanding their existing free trade agreement.

Dewar suggested that political motives were behind the guest list, which included representatives from prominent Jewish organizations in Canada.

“Let’s be frank about what this was . . . they were looking to bring a lot of people who would give them some political outcome and capital at the end of the day, than it was about advancing business,” he told the Star.

Foreign affairs spokesperson Jean-Bruno Villeneuve said that some delegates paid for accommodation, or had private accommodation. As well, those who took a commercial flight to the region instead of flying with the prime minister paid their own costs.

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He said the decision to have the government pick up the tab for delegates is in line with past practice.

“This is not an uncommon practice — it is what was followed for the prime minister’s trips to India, the Philippines, and China,” Villeneuve said in an email.

The figures were obtained under Access to Information from the Department of Foreign Affairs. The department said the costs were preliminary and that final numbers would not be ready for several weeks.

As well, some costs, like Harper’s RCMP detail, are not part of these costs. It’s not clear either whether the figures include the travel costs for the cabinet ministers and their staff who accompanied the prime minister.

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