MPs receive new rules for expense reporting

OTTAWA — As the Senate expense scandal bubbles over in the red chamber, members of Parliament are being slapped with new rules to ensure better transparency when it comes to the way they use taxpayer dollars.

The Commons Board of Internal Economy, which monitors MP spending, announced the changes Wednesday.

Starting in April, MPs will be required to make public all expenses related to service contracts, accommodation, events, gifts and meetings. The items are currently lumped into larger categories related to salary, per diem expenses and hospitality.

When using “special travel points,” MPs will also have to disclose additional details, including the name of the person travelling, destination, the departure and return dates, the purpose of the travel and the total transportation cost.

MPs are allotted 25 special travel points that can be used for travel within Canada, other than for trips to or from their constituency. They can also allocate points to their designated traveller — often a spouse — other dependents and eligible staff.

Instead of reporting on an annual basis, MPs will also be required to report their expenses quarterly, the details of which will become publicly available on the Par- liament of Canada website within three months of the end of each quarter, starting Sept. 30, 2014.

“In order to achieve optimal accuracy in quarterly reporting, members will be required to submit claims promptly after expenses are incurred,” says a version of the memo outlining the new requirement. The memo appears to have gone out to MPs and was obtained by Postmedia News.

“Since reports are now accessible at any time ... members must routinely review their financial reports and identify errors to ensure the accuracy and validity of the data reported.”

A statement about the changes made public by House Speaker Andrew Scheer, says the “improvements” build on earlier changes introduced before the last 2012-13 MP expenditure report. The board previously introduced measures requiring MPs to break down their travel to make it clear whether it involved constituency visits, travel to the U.S. or other travel within Canada. Information about secondary residences is also no longer lumped into the accommodation and per diem category.

The move to open up MPs’ expenses comes in the wake of a spending scandal that has dogged the Senate for months. Senators Patrick Brazeau, Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and Mac Harb have come under fire for improper expense claims.