As two opposition parties blazed off letters to federal spending watchdogs asking them to inspect the anticipated $930-million tab, Canada's security costs for the G8 and G20 summits were denounced yesterday as a "billion-dollar boondoggle".

The NDP wants Auditor General Sheila Fraser and parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page to probe the "incomprehensible and inexcusable" costs, and the Liberals wrote Fraser asking her to examine the estimated spending, which far exceeds security bills for past world summits.

Page confirmed that the office had beforehand started to work on the matter and will put together terms of orientation to carry out an analysis.

"We are having some internal discussions on objectives, dimensions, approach, and timing”, Page said.

Scrutiny is a must and he will, consider investigating whether the government has been transparent about the bill, whether there are veiled costs, and whether the costs are undue when compared to past summits in Canada and recent G8 and G20 meetings in other countries.

Including last year's G20 gathering in London, in which news reports pegged security at about $20 million, Canada's estimated price tag dramatically exceeds costs for past G8 and G20 summits. Security for the 2009 G8 summit in Italy was estimated at $359 million.

In the House of Commons question period, the Government safeguarded its cost projections amid persistent accusations from the Liberals and NDP that the Government has mismanaged its summit plan and is spending money it does not have while cutting other needed programs. The opposition is billing the summits as the most expensive three days in Canadian history.