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Ottawa Sun 11-01-06 9:43 AM Senators' personal expenses finally online for all to see | Canada | News | Ottawa Sun 11-01-06 9:43 AM Autos Careers Classifieds Homes Senators' personal expenses finally online for all to see By ALTHIA RAJ, PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU Last Updated: January 6, 2011 9:53am OTTAWA — After years of being attacked for misspending Canadians’ tax dollars, senators agreed to release their individual expenses this week. None of Canada’s 105 senators appear to have overspent their $153,120 yearly office and hospitality budget, $20,000 budget for living expenses while in Ottawa or their travel budget, worth 64 round-trips for themselves, family members or members of their staff. Senators spent $5,156,132.88 from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30, 2010. The move to post a breakdown of individual expenses came from Conservative Sen. David Tkachuk, the chair of the Senate’s committee on internal economy, budgets and administration, who decided last spring the numbers should be made public after years of negative publicity. “I thought it was important that people know what the expenses are and that they are public,” he told QMI Agency. “It is a way to make ourselves more accountable.” The top spenders for the quarter were Conservative senator and former Newfoundland and Labrador Auditor General Elizabeth Marshall. Marshall, who was appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, spent $84,788.39, though a large part of her expenses were due to the $50,739.93 she spent flying to and from her home province for Senate sittings in Ottawa. Conservative Sen. Daniel Lang, another Harper appointee, was runner up spending $78,447.74 — $36,007.95 of which was spent flying back to the Yukon each week. Liberal Sen. Mobina Jaffer spent the most on hospitality expenses, racking up $2,015.62 in charges. Jaffer told QMI Agency she hosted a dozen events ranging from seven people to more than a hundred from May to November but was only refunded last fall. Most were student gatherings, volunteer appreciation meals and some hosting of international visitors from the Congo and Uganda. In September, Jaffer spent $279.18 on a luncheon for 51 young people. She said she prepares a lot of the food at home, such as salads. “My hospitality budget is only $5,000 and I do a lot of events so I try to stretch the dollars,” she said. Conservative Sen. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenue, another Harper appointee, was the senator who spent the most on living expenses — $7,418.20. His staff said he was on vacation until February 1 and unavailable to comment, but explained his living costs were higher because he chose to rent an apartment in Ottawa rather than stay in a hotel three days a week as many of his colleagues do. Conservative Sen. Pamela Wallin, also a Harper appointee, spent the most travelling outside of her constituency. Wallin, who was also unavailable to comment, spent $32,597.56. Liberal Sen. Jim Munson came in second spending $30,585.68. Munson said he spent money on airfare, hotel and per diem expenses crisscrossing the country giving speeches, meeting with autism groups and attending meetings of the special Olympics — two causes close to his heart. “A lot of those groups, don’t have money to come to Ottawa,” Munson said. “When I am asked to go, I don’t turn people down. I’m trying to make a little difference in people’s lives that matters to me.” [email protected] Copyright © 2011 Ottawa Sun All Rights Reserved http://www.ottawasun.com/news/canada/2011/01/05/16775556.html Page 1 of 1.
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