expenses

Friday July 15, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Friday July 15, 2016 Someone must be held accountable for spending accusations: Brazeau Spending in the upper chamber still needs to be cleaned up, Sen. Patrick Brazeau said Thursday as he promised to push for more changes when he makes his triumphant return to the Senate in the fall. Brazeau said someone has to be held accountable for the fact that he has spent the last three years of his life under what he describes as false allegations of misspending and wrongdoing. Brazeau summoned the media to his Ottawa office Thursday and spoke out publicly at a news conference for the first time since his long, difficult legal saga began more than three years ago. Brazeau has long insisted he did nothing wrong when he filed housing claims for a secondary home near Parliament Hill, noting he met the test the Senate now uses for verifying a primary residence. Independent auditors from Deloitte couldn't conclude he broke any rules because the rules themselves were so vague, he added. But the Senate rejected that finding and ordered Brazeau to repay about $49,000 in housing claims. Months later, in November 2013, Brazeau was suspended without pay in an emotional vote in the upper chamber. Some Conservative senators abstained, believing it unfair to treat Brazeau the same as fellow members Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy. Brazeau said he wants the whole thing to be "water under the bridge," but knows that may be impossible. "What happened in the Senate with me in particular ... was unjust and somebody needs to be held accountable," he said. "And I'm going to work darn hard to make sure that place gets cleaned up, because each time you hear senators saying, 'Oh, well, we changed these rules and we changed those rules' Ñ well, they haven't done enough and I'm going to start working on that right away." The rule changes, a key pressure point in the Senate, are at the heart of a dispute between one senator and the

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday July 15, 2016

Someone must be held accountable for spending accusations: Brazeau

Spending in the upper chamber still needs to be cleaned up, Sen. Patrick Brazeau said Thursday as he promised to push for more changes when he makes his triumphant return to the Senate in the fall.

Brazeau said someone has to be held accountable for the fact that he has spent the last three years of his life under what he describes as false allegations of misspending and wrongdoing.

Brazeau summoned the media to his Ottawa office Thursday and spoke out publicly at a news conference for the first time since his long, difficult legal saga began more than three years ago.

Brazeau has long insisted he did nothing wrong when he filed housing claims for a secondary home near Parliament Hill, noting he met the test the Senate now uses for verifying a primary residence.

Independent auditors from Deloitte couldn’t conclude he broke any rules because the rules themselves were so vague, he added. But the Senate rejected that finding and ordered Brazeau to repay about $49,000 in housing claims.

[slideshow_deploy id=’1787’]

 

Months later, in November 2013, Brazeau was suspended without pay in an emotional vote in the upper chamber. Some Conservative senators abstained, believing it unfair to treat Brazeau the same as fellow members Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy.

Brazeau said he wants the whole thing to be “water under the bridge,” but knows that may be impossible.

“What happened in the Senate with me in particular … was unjust and somebody needs to be held accountable,” he said.

“And I’m going to work darn hard to make sure that place gets cleaned up, because each time you hear senators saying, ‘Oh, well, we changed these rules and we changed those rules’ — well, they haven’t done enough and I’m going to start working on that right away.”

The rule changes, a key pressure point in the Senate, are at the heart of a dispute between one senator and the Senate committee that oversees spending. The committee has threatened to cut off Sen. John Wallace’s expense privileges if he doesn’t sign a declaration saying he is in compliance with Senate rules.(Source: Metro)

2016-07-12tearsheet2

 

2016-07-15tearsheet

Tuesday June 9, 2015

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Tuesday June 9, 2015 Senate to forward expense files of nine Senators to the RCMP The Senate handed the expense records of nine of its own to the Mounties on Friday as part of the fallout from the two-year examination of its books by auditor general Michael Ferguson. ÒWeÕve committed to not question any element of the report,Ó Senate Speaker Leo Housakos told the Star in an interview, adding that he would have preferred that Ferguson be the one to refer his own findings to the RCMP. The Canadian Press reported retired Liberal senator Rod Zimmer, one of the nine whose expenses were referred to the police, led the pack when it came to the amounts Ferguson said should be repaid. He had disputed expense claims totalling $176,014 in travel expenses for non-parliamentary business and a housing allowance he should not have claimed. The Star has confirmed the audit to be formally released June 9 identifies a total of $976,627 in inappropriately claimed expenses, and that more than half that amount Ñ about $546,000 Ñ is linked to just five senators. That is the amount Ferguson found issues with following arduous, line-by-line reviews of 80,000 transactions worth about $180 million involving 117 senators from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2013. (Source: Toronto Star) http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/06/05/retired-sen-don-oliver-lashes-back-at-auditor-general-over-expenses.html Canada, audit, Senate, Senator, expenses, scandal, auditor-general, Michael Ferguson, hell, devil, Parliament

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday June 9, 2015

Senate to forward expense files of nine Senators to the RCMP

The Senate handed the expense records of nine of its own to the Mounties on Friday as part of the fallout from the two-year examination of its books by auditor general Michael Ferguson.

Friday, February 15, 2013“We’ve committed to not question any element of the report,” Senate Speaker Leo Housakos told the Star in an interview, adding that he would have preferred that Ferguson be the one to refer his own findings to the RCMP.

The Canadian Press reported retired Liberal senator Rod Zimmer, one of the nine whose expenses were referred to the police, led the pack when it came to the amounts Ferguson said should be repaid. He had disputed expense claims totalling $176,014 in travel expenses for non-parliamentary business and a housing allowance he should not have claimed.

The Star has confirmed the audit to be formally released June 9 identifies a total of $976,627 in inappropriately claimed expenses, and that more than half that amount — about $546,000 — is linked to just five senators.

That is the amount Ferguson found issues with following arduous, line-by-line reviews of 80,000 transactions worth about $180 million involving 117 senators from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2013. (Source: Toronto Star)

[slideshow_deploy id=’1787’]

Published in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, The Brandon Sun, and the Gull Lake Advance

 

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Tuesday, April 15, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Flaherty’s state funeral to be held at Toronto’s St. James cathedral

Jim Flaherty’s state funeral is being held at Toronto’s St. James Cathedral on Wednesday.

Canadian Heritage is inviting Canadians to pay their respects to the former finance minister who died suddenly in his Ottawa condo last week.

Visitation will take place at the Abilities Centre at 55 Gordon Street in Whitby, Ont., on Tuesday from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Flaherty’s funeral will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday at St. James cathedral at 65 Church Street in downtown Toronto.

Canadian Heritage says Flaherty’s family appreciates all the expressions of support and condolences and asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Abilities Centre.

Flaherty died of a heart attack late last week, less than a month following his retirement after serving as Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s finance minister since 2006.

He’ll become the latest in a tradition of Canadian state funerals that began in 1868 with Thomas D’Arcy McGee, an Irish-born nationalist who became an MP and was assassinated on the streets of Ottawa after a late-night House of Commons debate.

Jack Layton, the late NDP leader who was opposition leader when he died in August 2011, was also given a state funeral.

Friday, April 11, 2014It is an honour normally reserved for current and former governors general, prime ministers and sitting members of cabinet — although a state funeral may be offered to any eminent Canadian at the discretion of the prime minister.

McGee, Layton, and now Flaherty, are the only three Canadians accorded a state funeral since Confederation beyond the prescribed list, according to a list provided by Canadian Heritage. Lincoln Alexander, former lieutenant-governor of Ontario and Canada’s first black MP, received a rare provincial state funeral in 2012. (Source: CBC News)

SOCIAL MEDIA

Posted as the cartoon of the day on Wednesday, April 16, 2014, and Yahoo News Canada.Jim Flaherty

Monday, March 24, 2014

Monday, March 24, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Monday, March 24, 2014

Council pulls Festival of Friends funding

The city will withhold funding from the Festival of Friends over a long-festering dispute about financial transparency with the controversy-dogged free music event.

The three-day festival, which has a $1-million budget, is the only arts group funded by the city as a board or agency that doesn’t provide audited financial statements — annual budget results verified by a chartered accountant.

That hasn’t stopped council from handing over $85,000 each year — until now. In a surprise move Wednesday, the budget committee voted to withhold further funding until the festival hands over the requested information.

“Every single year we say we want audited financial statements and it doesn’t happen,” said Councillor Brad Clark, who authored the motion. “All of these other organizations comply, but we don’t expect him to?”

A shocked festival head Loren Lieberman immediately came to City Hall after learning about the decision on Twitter and had a heated exchange with Clark, asking why council would metaphorically “punch me in the balls.”

Lieberman was outraged he wasn’t warned in advance of the meeting and said city staff assured him he had submitted sufficient documentation. The festival has already been forwarded close to $20,000 for 2014, which won’t be clawed back.

“If they need more (information), ask for it,” he said. “Don’t punch me in the face and then tell me the reason afterwards.”

Lieberman submitted a statement of operations for the festival, which city finance head Mike Zegarac described as “an improvement” over past years, but not on par with the other boards and agencies.

Zegarac noted the city requests audited financial statements but does not specifically require them. “It’s a practice, not a policy,” he said. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Wednesday, October 2, 2013By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Premier Kathleen Wynne angrily questions executive expenses

The Ontario government is demanding Pan Am Games organizers “tighten the rules” on expenses after it was revealed high-paid executives were charging the public for dubious claims.

Premier Kathleen Wynne told the legislature Monday the Liberal government was taking the matter seriously, and stressed that Tourism, Culture and Sport Minister Michael Chan is on the case.

“We’ve already taken action. The minister has already given instructions of the board to tighten the rules,” the premier said after the Toronto Sun disclosed that Pan Am CEO Ian Troop, who made $477,000 last year, and other high-paid honchos were claiming expenses such as $1.89 for a Starbucks tea and 91 cents for parking.

Other charges were for travel, fancy dinners, laundry, hotel room service and moving expenses, according to the Sun.

“There are expenses within that report that are unacceptable,” fumed Wynne.

“Three weeks ago, the minister responsible for the Pan Am Games asked the board to review their policy (and) strengthen it where appropriate,” she said.

“The rules should be tighter. There should not be that kind of entitlement, so we’ve already taken action. We need to make sure that the dollars are spent wisely, that there’s good judgment in place, and that the rules are appropriate.”

Speaking to reporters later Monday, Wynne could barely contain her fury at the Pan Am executives.

“It’s ridiculous. It’s the kind of entitlement that is unacceptable,” Wynne said. “I’ve been asked about reimbursement and that’s one of the questions I will take up with the minister,” she said. (Source: Toronto Star)