Alberta offers blueprint for disclosure on spending
OTTAWA — Earlier this week, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation called on the federal government to adopt online, in-depth expense reporting for all parliamentarians. The federation, reacting to events in the Senate, wants the government to emulate Alberta, which has had an in-depth system of spending disclosure since October 2012.
Would it work? Gregory Thomas, federal director of the CTF, said it could have flagged P.E.I. Sen. Mike Duffy’s spending problems earlier by mapping how he was using public money, and “nipped this problem in the bud,” before it became a full-blown crisis.
The Alberta system requires all ministers, deputy ministers, their staff, and senior officials to publicly report expenses such as meals, transportation and accommodation on a bimonthly basis. There are currently more than 35,000 separate entries published online, with receipts for certain expenses, all publicly available.
Additionally, members of the legislative assembly produce quarterly expense reports that detail expenses accumulated while they are on official duty.
In contrast, current members of Parliament and senators report their expenses through internal committees. MPs report their expenses annually, and these are available online. Senators began reporting their quarterly expenses in January 2011 (the first numbers looked back at the final quarter of 2010), after an audit showed improper disclosure of some expenses.
These quarterly reports are available online, and show office, housing, hospitality and travel expenses. Under each of these categories is the total the senator spent that quarter.
In Alberta, however, under travel expenses, taxpayers can see details such as which hotel their representative stayed at, how much he or she spent on parking, even how much the MLA tipped the cab driver to the airport.
Advocates like the Alberta system because the issue isn’t always the amount of money spent, but what it is spent on: even a small expense could have been inappropriate. (Think former federal minister Bev Oda’s $16 orange juice receipt.)
Alberta Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly Cathy Olesen said the system makes politicians think twice about what they charge taxpayers, and that it’s a reassurance to the public to see what their representatives are spending money on.
The provincial Conservative government adopted its disclosure practice following several expense scandals uncovered by journalists.
However, Alberta Liberal Leader Raj Sherman said the disclosure policy doesn’t go far enough in revealing spending at various levels of government.
“They give the appearance that they’re fully accountable, but they’re not,” Sherman said, noting that his attempt to have all constituency office and caucus expenses disclosed was shut down by Conservative MLAs.
Since federal expense records are already kept internally, Dylan Jones, president of the Canada West Foundation think-tank, said it’s not a big step to move toward public reporting of the details.
“It’s not a massive, new, expensive bureaucracy, it’s just taking reporting that exists anyway, and putting it on the website,” he said.