Categories: Polls

What would Sheila Fraser find if she were to audit federal politicians' expenses?

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by macleans.ca on Tuesday, May 25, 2010 2:41pm - 27 Comments
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  • Loubou

    None of the above.
    She wants to do a performance audit of the process of vetting expenses, not the expenses themselves.

    • Erkki

      The question is not in respect to what she proposes to do, but rather, asks what she would find if she were to audit their expenses.

  • Brian M

    I suspect that an audit would reveal that at least 70% of MPs in all parties are charging items they shouldn't be charging to their expense accounts. It is their best way of increasing their take-home pay. This has been going on for 100+ years and will never stop until and unless there is some accountability and penalties imposed on the transgressors.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/RunningGag RunningGag

    http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2010/05/26/14095421.html

    Fully 85 per cent of those polled said they were concerned about the MPs’ refusal to let Fraser look at their books, including 52 per cent who were very concerned.

  • http://www.labrocante.ca Bertrand Michel

    Waste, waste, waste … which is the symbol of North American civilization …. and gaining on the world…. starting with Politics…. Look at the G20 and G8 waste, … a billion dollars in security ….! wouldn't it be cheaper to have all those big wheels meeting in the middle of the Atlantic on a cruise ship with the navy to watch on them ! who cares anyway , as long as we have some taxpayers….!

  • Lyle Henderson

    I don't expect her to find more than a few outrageous claims, But, its the principle of the thing, all tax paid expenses should be transparent and posted for public information. I pay the bill, I have the right to see what it was for. I even think that it is OK for them to travel First class. In some cases that government jet is sitting there costing just about as much in the hanger as it would in the air, why not use it. But why try to hide it. I should be allowed to know it all.

  • Rodney Rooster

    Certainly we should know about MP spending. It is tax payer money There is waste everywhere. Clean house Sheila Fraser! I for one will be very sorry when you no longer at the helm.

  • Jose A. Moreno

    It should be the law, every year they get audited. They are using my money and everyone elses. If they don't have anything to hide, they should not worry about it…..GO TO IT MS. FRAISER !!!!!

  • http://mach1231.tripod.com Max

    How stupid and dumb can it be to try and predict what the audit will find? The only thing I can think of is that there must be a damned good reason why they dont want them opened up and looked at. They should feel very liberated and proud of themselves at the end of the day as should Ms Fraser. So obviously the good reason they have for keeping them closed is not suffice for the publics good reasons. Its their money!

  • Jeffo

    I listened to a report yesterday on CBC regarding MPs travel expenses. It detailed the "travel points" system and how it works for MPs to return to their ridings and in some cases to have their families travel with them. Two MPs interviewed spoke about their commitment to their children and the importance of spending time with them while also performing their duties as parliamentarians. As a father I applaud their commitment but at the same time I wonder why they chose to stand for election in the first place, knowing that upon election they would be asking the taxpayer to subsidize their family obligations. If our MPs, of all parties, were more than silent seat filling votes for the leaders, it might be more understandable. Sadly though, they seem to want remuneration far above their value to the constituents.
    Many parents have to work away from home or work shifts that isolate them from day-to-day interaction with their families. This is a reality and necessity of working life. People who enter politics chose that line of work and must accept the sacrifices that go with it.

  • Yuri

    I also thought that spending an average of 10 times MPs salary in expenses with no audit is autrageous. In no other business is this parmitted. However, when I see Harper spending a billion dollars for a two or three days meeting of G20, I guess the half a billion per year spending by the 308 MPs becomes reasonable.

  • kruegerh

    as long as Brian is allowed to walk as a free man, and to keep the money granted to him by "Canadian Justice", the people will see the so-called (ours) free democratic system to be nothing but a hotbed of greedy mobsters. But what can one expect in a country, where A.F.pride marches are not only allowed, but celebrated as something desirable. On one hand "those up there" rob us taxpayers of hundreds of millions of Dollars, to help those with HIV, while on the other hand they invite the A.F.'s
    of the world to come to Canada to get married. How long will it be, before A.F…ing becomes mandatory?

  • David B

    Canadian taxpayers have little or not backbone and this issue will fade away and Mr. Harper knows it. Matter of fact watch him rise even more in the polls.

  • Katie Smith

    You create what you defend against. As soon as the MP's refused to let Sheila Fraser look at their books we tend to assume that it is because they have something to hide. Pretty sad when the only political party in Canada willing to be open is the one that wants to leave.

  • R Henry

    If you divide the number of MP's into the amount of money spent it works out to close to $1.5 million per member. This is taxpayers money and yes we should know what it is being spent on. Just one more reason why we don't need or can not afford more MP's.

  • L Miller

    All expenses, except those related to National Security, for all levels of Government both elected and non-elected officials who are requesting re-imbursment from the taxpayer should be submitted on-line. The people have the right to know. The auditor general should have unlimited access.

  • Pablo77

    This has nothing to do with Harper…why not say the same of Layton and Iggy???

  • taxslave

    Not just harper. It is amazing that despite all the petty bickering among the various parties they close ranks against their employers awful fast when it comes to something they scam in common. I think there is a genetic disorder that is part of being a politician, party is irrelevant so long as they get elected.

  • Rich Matarese

    –
    In the private sector, it is common for companies to audit their employees' expenditures to ensure, first, that these costs genuinely advance the company's objectives (in other words, that it's smart to spend money in these particular ways; it helps to get the job done, and it might be possible to spend even smarter). Second, that the employees aren't practicing peculation. The latter function is critically important. Human nature being what it is, people will take it as natural and proper for things – even very expensive things – to "walk away with them" if there is evidence that the owners and stewards of those things don't consider the stuff important enough to track.

    A Member of Parliament is – within reasonable bounds – a human being. Why should they be treated as if they were angels? Because they're popularity contest winners?
    –

  • http://mach1231.tripod.com Max

    My self I cheated. I looked at the results first and then voted they wont find anything amiss. But even though I am not a politician ,-,…do you believe me?

  • Dewey

    Harper's government has just taken a budgetary surplus of $13 billion and turned it into a $56 billion dollar defecit (after promising to balance the books), and Sheila Fraser's biggest concern is individual MP expense accounts? Way to go Stephen Harper!

  • paintsman

    who pushed to spend more!! who kept saying 'this isn't enough'!!

  • taxslave

    Not sure but I bet Dewey voted for at least one of them.

  • http://twitter.com/wherebdangels @wherebdangels

    Or we could apply those standards to taxpayers / citizens, for example when building / changing tax system

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/JustinWordswrth JustinWordswrth

    Perhaps other provinces should join Quebec and separate from Canada.

  • not there

    OK, Jack Layton, time to stop billing us for your moustache.

  • boati

    How can anyone think our mp's are not abusing the expense accounts
    It is not there money, It should be law that their spending is posted for all tax paying canadians to see,down to the penny just like every buissness who offers expense accounts do.
    I saw 39.6 percent go off my last pay check. I WANT TO SEE HOW IT IS SPENT. 1.5 million per mp is sickening.

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