PM has a lot of leeway on expenses
He’s expected to cover meals, travel and entertainment not directly connected to work
Canada pays for a prime minister’s car, a residence, a chef and, as it became clear this week, a couple of “special assistants” to help with child care.
But while politicians inhabit the taxpayer-funded bubble of running the country, what do they pay for out of their own pocket?
“It is very discretionary,” said an ex-staffer for former prime minister Stephen Harper.
Although there is surprisingly little oversight, the rule of thumb is that a prime minister covers any meals, travel or entertainment that is not directly connected to work.
Since 1971, the prime minister has been provided with a rentfree official residence, complete with free laundry, free heat, free hot water and free housekeeping and gardening. Former prime minister Jean Chretien, for one, has been known to jokingly refer to this perk as “government-subsidized housing.”
Under the Official Residences Act, federal funds can also be used to hire a steward, housekeeper and any other employees deemed “necessary for the management of the prime minister’s residence.”
The two nannies hired by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for instance, were authorized as “special assistants.” Kate Purchase, Trudeau’s director of communications, released a statement Wednesday indicating the prime minister will not expand the household staff but instead adjust their duties to suit the family’s needs.
A chauffeur is permitted to live at the residence for free, and public funds are also provided for the hiring of a chef and the “purchase of food.” Unless the ambassador to Israel or any other dignitary is over for dinner, the prime minister’s family usually covers the cost of groceries. Similarly, restaurant bills, bar tabs and even coffee runs are covered if it is part of official government business.
On June 10, 2015, for instance, the PMO spent $413.25 on a 41-person lunch from Café Deluxe, a bistro located three blocks away from Parliament Hill. That same month, the office spent $672.25 on “coffee, tea and soft drinks.”
The Privy Council office also keeps tabs on prime ministerial travel expenses. In July, Harper flew to Kelowna to thank wildfire crews. According to a public expense report, the trip incurred a $151.98 hotel tab. Under the Treasury Board’s official rule book for government ministers, travel should only be expensed if done for “program-related business.”
Ultimately, though, a prime minister has a lot of wiggle room to decide what constitutes “program-related business.” The Conservatives briefly put Harper’s hair stylist on the public payroll, for instance, before deciding to cut her cheques from party coffers.
And while Harper paid for all his own clothing, Brian Mulroney is said to have expensed his suits, ties, coats and shoes to a mixture of public and party accounts. A prime minister with the spendthrift ways of Senator Mike Duffy, for instance, could bank virtually his entire salary — provided he is comfortable with risking a potential media scandal.
Harper had a reputation for being unusually scrupulous when it came to expenses. At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, for instance, he got free admission to the opening and closing ceremonies, which he was required to attend. But he bought tickets for events he chose to attend on the side.