Investigation may be job for auditor-general, expert says
Senate committee faces daunting investigation
OTTAWA — A three-person Senate committee investigating the housing-allowance claims of senators faces a task so daunting that experts suggest it’s time to call in Canada’s auditor-general.
A Postmedia News review of Senate expense claims shows only seven of Canada’s current 104 senators have not claimed any sort of housing allowance since 2011. That means the committee conducting the probe will have to interview about 50 of its peers to determine whether their claims are legitimate.
The remaining 40 or so senators have made claims for hotel rooms, not residences, when they stay in the national capital for Senate business.
Under the rules, the housing allowance, used for a secondary residence in Ottawa, can be claimed only by senators whose primary home is more than 100 kilometres from the capital.
“The issue here is integrity of public finances,” said Donald Savoie, a parliamentary and governance expert from the University of Moncton who has written numerous books about government. “The solution is turn everything over to an auditor. The auditor-general would be a good candidate.”
The auditor-general does have the right to examine senator expenses — if the Senate itself agrees. In 2010, it decided to give the auditor-general limited access to expense reports, and last year the results were released.
Auditor-General Michael Ferguson wrote in his June 2012 report that of seven housing allowance claims examined in the review, auditors found “insufficient evidence” to determine whether the Senate administration had ensured two claimants complied with the policy. And of 24 living expense claims, which can include claims for hotel accommodations and food, explanations were provided for 23 of the claims but one had no explanation at all.
Lack of documentation was also cited in four of the 36 travel claims examined, leading Ferguson to question the “honour principle” under which senators operate. “Because some of the expense claim files do not always contain sufficient documentation, it is difficult for the Administration to clearly conclude that expenses are appropriate,” he wrote.
Preliminary results should be available by March from an independent audit looking into the housing allowance claims made by Sen. Mike Duffy, Sen. Mac Harb, and Sen. Patrick Brazeau.
On Friday, the internal economy committee announced it had referred the housing declarations of Duffy, Harb and Brazeau to auditing firm Deloitte for review, and has sought special legal advice on the question of Duffy’s residency. Sen. Pamela Wallin has said she met with auditors and submitted all documents requested.