Senate’s spending, expenses oversight committee not good enough, says former Senate ethics officer Fournier

In 2015, in the wake of the Senate expenses scandal, then-auditor general Michael Ferguson issued a scathing report on Senate expenses calling for a “transformational change in the way expenses are claimed, managed, controlled, and reviewed." Specifically, he recommended the creation of an independent five-member body to provide oversight of Senators' expenses of which three, including its chair, would be non-Senators, outside members independent of the Senate, as well as two existing Senators. The oversight body would review all expenses incurred by individual Senators and make final decisions on whether they comply with the rules. Moreover, the meetings of the body would be open to the public, and all its reports, minutes, decisions and reasons would be published on the Senate website. The AG came to this recommendation after examining more than 80,000 expense items, including travel, living, and office expenses which are part of the Senate’s $114-million annual budget. For five years, Senators delayed, dithered and dawdled, and finally rejected the AG’s recommendation. This reflects very poorly on the Senate. Now a majority of three Senators will review the spending of their peers and make final decisions on whether those expenses comply with the rules, policies, and guidelines, and whether the amounts should be repaid by Senators. This is not good enough. Put simply, this is a matter of public trust and integrity. If Senators want to regain the public trust, they must be far more open when it comes to matters as important as expenses. The U.K. (2009) and Australia (2017) both established totally independent parliamentary expenses authorities. There are no members of the House of Lords or the Australian Senate on those bodies. They are fully independent as they should be. This is what it’s all about: public confidence, trust, integrity, transparency and accountability. The Senate should immediately reconsider its decision, and do this properly this time. Simply put, the Senate should adopt the late AG Michael Ferguson’s recommendation, or better still, in my view, the U.K.-Australia model. If this works in the House of Lords and the Australian Senate, it will work in Canada. What are Senators waiting for? Another expenses scandal? The Senate is better than this. I should know. I was the Senate’s first and longest serving Senate ethics officer, from 2005 to 2012. Let’s get with it, Senators. Jean T. Fournier Ottawa, Ont. (The letter writer is the former Senate ethics officer.)

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Senate’s spending, expenses oversight committee not good enough, says former Senate ethics officer Fournier

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