Restoring public trust
Alberta public officials should post their expenses
If any good can come out of the controversy involving former health CFO Allaudin Merali, it would be stricter reporting requirements of all expenses of MLAs and senior government officials.
The Redford government came close to offering that this week, with promises of more accountability surrounding the disclosure of expenses of cabinet ministers and senior bureaucrats. Don Scott, the associate minister responsible for accountability, transparency and transformation, announced he will lead an initiative to identify how other jurisdictions report travel and other expenses of elected and senior officials.
That promise of more study, though, simply does not cut it. This appears to be nothing but soothing words to control the damage caused by the Merali affair. Albertans need action, not lip service. Any public official, elected or otherwise, cabinet member or not, should be expected to have receipts — and they should post them online for all to see, before any of the expenses are reimbursed.
It was only through accessto-information requests that light was shed on Merali’s expensive tastes, and led to his hasty departure at Alberta Health Services.
Merali left just three months into the job, as the CBC was about to reveal he charged nearly $350,000 in expenses while he worked as CFO for the former Capital Health Region in Edmonton. In three years, the freespending CFO expensed such things as a Mercedes-Benz bill approaching $2,000, a stomach-turning $1,600 on one meal at an Edmonton restaurant, and other incidentals, like groceries, that most people pay for out of their own pockets. This despite that in 2007 alone, Merali was paid an annual salary of $487,000 at Capital Health.
Merali went on to become a consultant with eHealth Ontario, charging numerous expenses even though he was already being paid $2,750 a day, plus a $75 per diem. The Alberta Treasury Board was aware of the Ontario controversy, and still offered him a job as provincial controller earlier this year, which he thankfully turned down. His responsibility in that job would have been to ensure government financial officers in all departments follow the rules when it comes to accounting practices, purchases and expenses.
How can one not question an attitude that tolerates disregard for taxpayer money at the highest levels? Another study won’t help Premier Alison Redford determine the right thing to do.
The Alberta government, regardless of what other provinces require when it comes to reporting expenses, should implement a standard in this province. All MLAs, not just cabinet ministers, should be required to post their receipts on the government website, period. Tough action to ensure the proper use of taxpayers’ dollars is the only thing that might begin to restore public confidence in the system.