The New Brunswick charity that asked Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau to return a speaking fee after he appeared at a fundraiser has sparked a debate among MPs about the propriety of accepting money for what some of them say MPs should do for free.

NDP MP Charlie Angus told reporters outside the House of Commons Monday, "I was personally absolutely shocked that this was allowable." He said MPs are regularly asked to speak at schools or charitable events, but he's never heard of anyone charging for the service.

Angus continued that he does know of MPs who are doctors or nurses who work the occasional shift in hospital emergency departments to keep up their licence, but added, "What we don't make allowances for is people skipping votes, having terrible attendance records and running a side business."

The Grace Foundation, a charity that supports a licensed nursing home in Saint John, says it lost money at an event a year ago where Trudeau was asked to speak and charged a fee of $20,000.

The fact that Trudeau would charge for speaking at a charitable fundraising event was brought up by Conservative MP Jason Kenney in question period on Friday. As well, a letter from a director on the Grace Foundation board, written to Trudeau in March asking him to consider returning his fee, was circulated to the media Friday by the Prime Minister's Office.

Over the weekend, Trudeau issued a statement saying he would either return fees or help resolve any financial problems that arose from the time he was conducting speaking engagements while he was an MP.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/06/17/pol-mps-reaction-trudeau-speaking-fee-charities.html