Report on Senate expenses expected within days

[FiveParadox]

Arbitrator evaluated 14 senators' expenses in dispute resolution

Attention is about to turn back to the expense practices of the SEnate, as the Honourable Mr. Justice Ian Binnie, a former puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, is preparing to issue his report on 14 senators' expenses, as part of a dispute resolution process ordered by the Senate. The order came after questionable expense claims rocked the Upper House over the course of the previous Conservative government, including several senators' suspensions.

While Justice Binnie is going to be providing his report to the Senate before the end of February, it might not be made immediately available to the public. The report is going to need to be translated so that it can be made available in both official languages, and it will need to be considered by the Senate's standing committee on internal economy, budgets, and administration, which will determine when and how the report shall be published before the Senate as a whole.

What happens when the report is tabled?

Once the report has been tabled, the Senate is going to be contacting the affected senators, to advise them of the requirement for repayment of expenses that Justice Binnie has decided were ineligible to be reimbursed. If a senator has not repaid those ineligible expenses within 30 days, then the Senate may seek legal action against that senator.

Which senators participated?

14 senators participated in Justice Binnie's arbitration process, after their expenses were identified by the auditor general as being questionable or not adequately supported by documentation provided by senators. One current senator, the Hon. Senator Elaine McCoy, Q.C., decided to pay all expenses identified by the auditor general, rather than undergoing the arbitration process.

Interestingly, several senators who had previously agreed to participate later backed out:

• The Hon. Sharon Carstairs, P.C. (a retired Liberal senator)
• The Hon. Rose-Marie Losier-Cool (a retired Liberal senator)
• The Hon. Bill Rompkey, P.C. (a retired Liberal senator)
• The Hon. Gerry St. Germain, P.C. (a retired Conservative senator)

A senator returns, others may return soon

The Hon. Senator Wallin has now returned to the Senate chamber, as her suspension expired at the end of the last parliament. As for the Hon. Senator Mike Duffy, and the Hon. Senator Patrick Brazeau, both of those senators are still facing legal proceedings for criminal offences and, as such, they are on leaves of absence without any Senate or office resources.

Source: Arbitrator set to report on Senate expenses (CBC News)

 

[tay]

The RCMP has granted blanket absolution to 24 senators fingered (link is external) for the same sort of expense fiddling that could land Mike Duffy a criminal conviction.

With the consensus building that Duffy will be acquitted of the main, "immaculate bribery" charge, he remains exposed to the minor, "petty cash" offences. Apparently Duffy's sins were rather commonplace among denizens of the Red Chamber.

What makes this conundrum ever more ironic is that the two dozen senators today absolved of their sins will be sitting in judgment on Duffy's expulsion after the April 21 verdict comes down.

 

[tay]

“Mr. St. Germain has informed Senate administration that he does not intend to provide reimbursement for the claimed expenses,” his spokesman, Bob Ransford, wrote in an email statement Friday.

“It is Mr. St. Germain’s position that the expenses were properly incurred in the conduct of his business as a senator. Mr. St. Germain will vigorously defend any proceedings that may be commended to recover those amounts,” the statement said.

The Senate says he still owes $67,120 after having repaid $468 — the amount he had claimed for a dinner meeting St. Germain had said was to wrap up parliamentary business, but other information indicated it was a family dinner, according to the audit report.

Thirty senators — both former and sitting — had until Thursday evening to reimburse the Senate for expenses Ferguson identified in his politically explosive June 2015 report on the Senate expenses scandal.

On Friday, seven former senators had not yet repaid a total of $527,788.54, which prompted the Senate to warn it would begin taking steps to get it back.

“The Senate has to create clear rules, educate senators on what they can and can’t do in the public interest,” Bayne told reporters gathered outside the Ottawa courthouse Thursday.

In his findings on St. Germain, who retired in 2012, the auditor general said he could not conclude whether all of his expenses reviewed had been incurred primarily for parliamentary business.

In his response, published in the report, St. Germain vigorously defended the expenses and his reputation.

“The presentation and tone of your general observations insinuate that I misappropriated my office resources in a nefarious manner. I find these apparent accusations to be a defamatory affront to my personal integrity,” said St. Germain, a former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister who was appointed to the Senate on the advice of Brian Mulroney in 1993.

Retired senator Gerry St. Germain ready to fight order to repay expenses | Toronto Star

 

[Curious Cdn]

I hope that the whole lot of them are exposed and ridiculed as the dippers that they probably are. The duplicitous manner with which they tossed Duffy under the bus, all the while following the same rules that he did, says that it is finally time to rid ourselves of these parasites for once and for all.

 

[Dixie Cup]

This is totally unconscionable. I could care a less if ALL of the bloody Senators "didn't understand". They need to pull their heads out of their asses and take responsibility for their actions - repay what they owe and throw out the rule book that they don't seem to understand. Start re-writing it (I will even help) and make it plain that IT IS NOT IN THEIR BEST INTERESTS TO SCREW THE TAXPAYER!


JMHO