Advertisement 1

Senate and senators slammed for spending circus

Article content

OTTAWA — Auditor General Michael Ferguson gave the country's senators no place to hide Tuesday in a report that damns the upper chamber for the lousy way it handles public money and the ease with which dozens of senators used public money for private purposes.

Some senators billed taxpayers for fishing trips, golf tournaments, family dinners, and who knows what, the auditor general reported.

Some senators refused to co-operate with the auditor general, provided contradictory information or would not respond to requests for information, and, as a result, there is no way to know how the money was spent.

For nine of those senators, Ferguson thinks the RCMP should probe their spending.

Ferguson flagged the spending of 21 other senators for more scrutiny by the Senate itself.

And yet, almost all those 21 quarrelled in writing with Ferguson.

"I completely disagree with the findings," Sen. Jean-Guy Dagenais wrote in his official response.

Despite the hostile reception, Ferguson stuck to his guns.

"We found that the oversight, accountability, and transparency around the expenses of senators' expenses were quite simply not adequate," Ferguson said. "We also found that senators did not always consider the requirement to ensure that expenses funded through the public purse were justifiable, reasonable, and appropriate."

He recommended more spending controls be imposed -- something Leo Housakos, speaker of the chamber, told reporters has already been done.

Ferguson and a team of auditors combed through 80,000 expense claims made over a two-year period from April, 2011 to March 2013 by 116 senators.

The audit itself took two years to complete and cost $23.5 million. If all the senators accused of misspending paid back every dime flagged by the auditor general, taxpayers would recoup $990,236.

"Yes it cost a lot of money," said NDP MP Charlie Angus. "But I think Canada wants to be sure its institutions ... are not riddled with corruption."

-- ---- ----

THE NASTY NINE

Auditor General Michael Ferguson on Tuesday recommended the files of the following senators, current and former, be referred to the RCMP for investigation. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu last week resigned from the Conservative caucus in the Senate and will sit as an Independent.

Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu (former Cons.)

owes: 61,076

paid back: $908

Colin Kenny (former Lib.)

owes: $35,549

Sharon Carstairs (Lib. - retired)

Owes: $7,528

Marie-P. Charette Poulin (Lib. - retired)

owes: $131,434

paid back: $5,606

Rose-Marie Losier-Cool (Lib. - retired)

owes: $110,051

Donald Oliver (Cons. - retired)

owes: $48,808

paid back: $23,395

William Rompkey (Lib. - retired)

owes: $17,292

Gerry St. Germain (Cons. - retired)

owes: $67,588

paid back: $468

Rod Zimmer (Lib. - retired)

owes: $176,014

SUBTOTAL:

$654,620

--- --

TWENTY ONE PROBLEMS

Ferguson recommended the files of the following 21 current and former senators be referred to a special senate oversight committee for further study.

Claude Carignan (Cons.)

owed: $3,516 - paid back in full

James Cowan (Lib.)

owed: $10,397 - paid back in full

Jean-Guy Dagenais (Cons.)

still owes: $3,538

Joseph Day (Lib.)

still owes: $19,634

Nicole Eaton (Cons.)

owed $3,489 - paid back in full

Leo Housakos (Cons.)

owed $8,319 - paid back in full

Janis Johnson (Cons.)

still owes $22,706

Noel Kinsella (Cons.)

owed: $7,705

paid back: $262

Sandra Lovelace Nicholas (Lib.)

still owes: $75,227

Elaine McCoy (Lib.)

still owes: $10,298

Terry Mercer (Lib.)

still owes: $29,338

Pana Merchant (Lib.)

owed: $5,500

paid back: $511

Lowell Murray (Cons.)

still owes: $16,300

Dennis Patterson (Cons.)

owed: $22,985

paid back: $9,223

Robert Peterson (Lib.)

still owes: $11,493

Don Plett (Cons.)

owed: $4,095

paid back: $2,975

Vivienne Poy (Lib.)

still owes: $15,317

Nancy Greene Raine (Cons.)

owed: $2,800

paid back: $2,386

Nick Sibbeston (Lib.)

still owes: $50,102

Terry Stratton (Cons.)

owed: $5,466

paid back: $60

David Tkachuk (Cons.)

owed: $7,391

paid back: $3,920

 

Article content
Advertisement 2
Advertisement
Article content
Article content
Latest National Stories
    News Near Tillsonburg
      This Week in Flyers