Is bringing pre-cooked food to Parliament Hill taking frugality a bit too far?

Is this pick on federal politicians day? One newspaper article goes on and on about chauffeured vehicles for senior elected officials and public servants, another seems to be lauding a move where the Parliamentary Restaurant as we all know it today will soon be but a mere memory.

How many people out there love institutional food? Anybody? What's the cafeteria food like in the local hospital? Has anyone ever been trampled on the way to the dining room in retirement homes? How exciting can a menu be anywhere that food is trucked in from some off-site "meal manufacturing site"? More importantly, exactly how nutritious is the food that comes out of these so-called kitchens?

That last question, more so than those preceding it, is what I can't help wondering after reading an Ottawa Citizen article this morning.

In what seems to be a surprise to many working in our Parliamentary Precinct, geniuses have decided to "substitute fine cuisine and meals prepared for MPs and senators on site with warmed-over pre-cooked meals trucked in from a 21,500-square-foot food plant in Ottawa's east-side industrial sector." That sure sounds yummy.

The story goes on to characterize the move as going from "fresh spring lamb and mint sauce" to "airline fare". Apparently the intent is to have a company build this plant from the ground up and then somehow sell it to the government. What the point of that exercise really is, I cannot fathom. If the government will own and operate the facility, it will have to pay in one way or another for the bricks and mortar, as well as for the staff and the food they will prepare. Don't forget the transportation from the "east-side industrial sector" to Parliament Hill. I wouldn't want to try that at rush hour!!! Where will the savings come from? The transportation will be more expensive than it currently is, I can't see how major savings can come from the staffing budget line --- will it come from food costs?

I'm all for cutting taxes and finding savings wherever possible. Having said that, I do have some difficulty coming to terms with condoning the characterization of a "fat cat" lifestyle that members of the media like to cast upon our Parliamentarians.

I also have a problem with this move because it cannot be a "move up" in food quality - if the kind of food we're led to believe is currently being prepared there on a daily basis and if the cost of that food is as high as we are led to believe by media zealots, any change has to be for the worse. Moreover, it would take a mountain of evidence from some nutritionist to make me believe that the nutrition value isn't going to take a hit. Let's be serious here.

With all the attempts on the part of doctors and politicians (such as Ontario Health Promotion Minister Jim Watson) to get Canadians to eat better, exercise more and lead a better and balanced lifestyle, I cannot fathom how anyone can believe that our Members of Parliament who work 12-18 hour workdays and many of whom live on fast food deserve this treatment.

Pierre Poilievre, a member of the governing party knew nothing about this when approached by a Citizen reporter. That in itself says quite a bit.

Come on, guys!! Sure, us plebes don't get the luxury of dining in the Parliamentary restaurant very often, if ever. If this isn't a cost cutting measure that could potentially help compromise the health and well being of elected officials and their staff, I'll eat my hat. This flies in the face of everything these very people are trying to have "regular Canadians" do. Cafeteria food was never much good and nobody likes it, so if it is generally accepted that it usually isn't the healthiest choice, why is bringing this fare in even being considered?

Who made the decision anyway?! There's still time to change