Despite the intense scrutiny of residency expenses in the Senate, only a handful of MPs are willing to provide a public account of where they live and what they expense while in Ottawa.
The Citizen asked all 305 sitting MPs to answer a short survey about whether they rented or owned homes in the Ottawa area and in their own ridings, and if they claimed per diems or housing allowances from the House of Commons. MPs were also asked how much time they spent in their ridings.
Only 20 MPs — mostly Liberals — responded, and NDP and Conservative MPs either didn’t reply or refused to answer, saying through official channels that the information was publicly available when, in fact, it is not.
The poor response rate suggests that MPs’ enthusiasm for transparency and accountability in the Senate does not carry over to the expenses they bill to the House of Commons for similar costs.
The only Conservative who gave a response was Ottawa — Orléans MP Royal Galipeau, who, as representative of a local riding, cannot charge for time spent in Ottawa.
The remaining 158 Conservatives either did not respond or referred questions to the office of party whip John Duncan.
“In response to your survey questions, Minister Duncan would like to point out that all the relevant information is publicly disclosed and available,” said Duncan’s policy and communications adviser Christine Maydossian.
“Our government has taken a lead by having our caucus members proactively publish their expenses online as well as convinced the Board of Internal Economy to have all Parliamentarians proactively publish their expenses online.”
In fact, House of Commons expense reports for MPs provide only aggregated quarterly totals of certain categories of spendings, including amounts for per diems and accommodation costs, but do not detail where MPs own or rent their homes — factors central to the expense scandal involving Conservative Senators Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin, Patrick Brazeau and former Liberal senator Mac Harb.
Whether Duffy actually lived in Prince Edward Island — his claimed primary residence — or in Kanata, where he owns a home, has been under dispute during his ongoing criminal trial.
The issue of MPs’ housing in Ottawa arose in 2010, when a Citizen and Halifax Chronicle-Herald investigation found that 21 MPs were using a little-known perk that allowed them or their families to subsidize the cost of buying homes in the National Capital Region by claiming up to $10,000 annually in residency costs billed to the House of Commons.
Liberal Judy Sgro was found to have paid $22,000 to rent a downtown Ottawa condominium from her children.
Sgro was among only three MPs who responded to the Citizen inquiry by saying they owned homes in the National Capital Region. Scarborough Liberal John McKay said he has condominium unit on Metcalfe Street and receives a daily stipend of $30 toward the cost of the accommodation. Montreal Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg said he owns a home in Gatineau. All three also own homes in their ridings.
The Citizen also asked all MPs how much time they spend in their ridings — an issue that arose during the Senate expense scandal. Those who replied all said they are in the riding frequently, subject to the Parliamentary calendar and their travel schedules.
Auditor-General Michael Ferguson conducted a detailed audit of expense claims filed by every senator over a three-year period but, so far, has not yet been invited to perform a similar audit of MPs’ expenses.
MPs who responded to the Citizen’s questions about their residency:
| MP | RIDING | PARTY |
| Irwin Cotler | Mount Royal | Liberal |
| Stéphane Dion | Saint-Laurent — Cartierville | Liberal |
| Emmanuel Dubourg | Bourassa | Liberal |
| Chrystia Freeland | Toronto Centre | Liberal |
| Ralph Goodale | Wascana | Liberal |
| Bruce Hyer | Thunder Bay — Superior North | Green Party |
| Dominic LeBlanc | Beauséjour | Liberal |
| Elizabeth May | Saanich — Gulf Islands | Green Party |
| John McKay | Scarborough — Guildwood | Liberal |
| Louis Plamondon | Bas-Richelieu — Nicolet — Bécancour | Bloc Québécois |
| Brent Rathgeber | Edmonton — St. Albert | Independent |
| Geoff Regan | Halifax West | Liberal |
| Francis Scarpaleggia | Lac-Saint-Louis | Liberal |
| Frank Valeriote | Guelph | Liberal |
| Mauril Bélanger | Ottawa — Vanier | Liberal |
| Arnold Chan | Scarborough — Agincourt | Liberal |
| Marc Garneau | Westmount — Ville-Marie | Liberal |
| Yvonne Jones | Labrador | Liberal |
| Judy Sgro | York West | Liberal |
| Adam Vaughan | Trinity — Spadina | Liberal |
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen
Source: canada.com/
Author: GLEN MCGREGOR
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