Unexpected dividends from scandal
Members of Parliament slash spending in reaction to Senate expenses, scrutiny
he spending scandal which rocked the Canadian Senate throughout much of 2013 and beyond is paying dividends in unexpected areas. Expenses claimed by Members of Parliament have plummeted, and none more so than with P.E.I.’s four MPs. The total amount Island MPs spent on travel dropped 30 per cent while spending on travel for spouses dropped by 60 per cent from the year previous.
Travel spending is down all across the House of Commons, even though the amount MPs are allowed to spend on travel hasn’t decreased. The Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation brags that two things have changed MPs’ spending habits over the past two years — the Senate scandal and an increasing level of public reporting of MPs’ expenses. MPs are watching every dollar and that is a good thing. Taxpayers will forgive many things among our elected representatives but wasting public money isn’t one of them.
The Senate scandal has obviously rattled MPs and the fallout which engulfed discredited Sen. Mike Duffy has created misers among Island members who have collectively reduced their travel expenses by about $112,000 last year. If four MPs can save taxpayers over $100,000 a year, then the other 304 MPs should be able to swell those savings into the millions.
Even though Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay slashed his spending by over $47,000 from a year earlier, he still led Island MPs in expenses at just over $75,076 for himself and a designated traveller, with Wayne Easter at $51,563.60, Sean Casey at $30,270.21 and Gail Shea at $29,601.88. Before one starts to offer hearty congratulations to our cabinet minister, she also has travel expensed separately through her department as minister of fisheries which would be substantially more than the meager amount posted on Parliament’s website.
MPs have shown they can get by on lower spending so it raises questions about what they were expensing in previous years, which is why the CTF is seeking even more disclosure.
MPs and senators are more cautious with their expenses which is laudable. The feeling of entitlement to spend tax dollars without care or accountability is rapidly waning. Parliament is set to introduce a number of new measures to provide even more detail on how MPs spend our tax dollars. Thank you, Mr. Duffy.
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