Sen. Marjory LeBreton couldn’t say if Duffy had paid any money back, but she and other senators are hoping that spending questions about Duffy and three other senators will be answered soon.
“The whole scenario has been a terrible misfortune for the Senate,” said Liberal Sen. Romeo Dallaire. “One, people don’t know what we do and, two, the only thing they hear is all this crap. They better sort it out soon.”
When asked about Duffy and his promise for repayment, Dallaire said: ”It’s up to him to sort out his problems.”
Duffy, for his part, said in a television interview Thursday that he had not repaid the money — and indicated that he may not repay the money at all.
Duffy did not respond to an interview request made Thursday afternoon.
When confronted by a Global National reporter Wednesday as he exited the Senate chamber, Duffy wouldn’t say if he had repaid the money. “I’m a man of my word,” Duffy told Global National.
On Thursday, Duffy told the station that he would only pay the money back if the audit found he violated Senate rules.
“We haven’t heard from Deloitte. But I said I’m a man of my word, and if repayment is required, it’ll be repaid,” Duffy said outside the Senate.
In late February, Duffy pledged to repay housing claims he had made against his longtime home in an Ottawa suburb. Senators are allowed to claim up to $22,000 annually for living expenses in the capital, including housing, so long as their primary residence is more than 100 kilometres from Parliament Hill.
Since late 2010, Duffy has claimed almost $50,000 for living expenses in the capital, according to his public expense reports, including more than $5,000 in the last quarter ending Feb. 28, six days after Duffy made the repayment pledge. However, Duffy has been in the Senate since January 2009, almost two years before the expense claims were made public.
A Senate source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the issue, said the amount Duffy has claimed — not including interest — is about $90,000.
“Mike Duffy needs to come clean with the Canadian people, tell us has he paid the money back and how much money has he paid back. It’s simple,” said NDP ethics critic Charlie Angus.
Questions about his housing claims first arose late last year and the Senate’s powerful internal economy committee ordered outside auditors to review housing claims by Duffy, Liberal Sen. Mac Harb and independent Sen. Patrick Brazeau. A fourth audit was also ordered for Sen. Pamela Wallin over her travel bill of more than $300,000.
The chairman of the Senate’s internal economy committee, Sen. David Tkachuk, told reporters Thursday that no date has been set for when the committee will receive the audits.
LeBreton and Senate Liberal leader Sen. James Cowan have pledged to make the findings of the audit public. Both said Thursday they weren’t aware if Duffy had fulfilled his repayment pledge.
“I haven’t had a report from the internal economy (committee), so at this precise moment I can’t answer that question,” LeBreton said outside the Senate.
“He said he’s a man of his word and that he would pay back the money.”
Cowan said he assumed Duffy would have made the repayment shortly after promising to do so on Feb. 22.
“If the money hasn’t been paid, I’m surprised at that,” Cowan said. “I thought he said he would, and I just assumed that it would have been done weeks ago.”
Duffy said in late February that he would repay the Senate for money he claimed — although he did not put a price on the refund — and said he believed he had done nothing wrong. He argued the forms to claim a housing allowance were vague and confusing.
The form asks senators to write down their primary residence in the province or territory they represent and mark whether the home is within, or more than 100 kilometres from Parliament Hill.
“The Senate rules on housing allowances aren’t clear and the forms are confusing. I filled out the Senate forms in good faith and believed I was in compliance with the rules. Now it turns out I may have been mistaken,” Duffy said in a statement in late February. ”Rather than let this issue drag on, my wife and I have decided that the allowance associated with my house in Ottawa will be repaid.”
Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Jordan Press
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