Canada's Auditor General finds Resistance-MPs expenses

by Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke | July 1, 2009 at 03:34 am

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Canada's Parliament has 308 members. Their combined expenses have been $127 Million. That works out to $412,000 average for each and every member. Canada's Auditor General wants to look into those expenses, but is finding resistance from Ottawa's political establishment.

One of Mr. Harper's election promises was political accountability and he has passed a watered down Accountability Act early into his tenure as Prime Minister.

There are now public details on how this money was spend. $700,000 is classified as other.

Member's of Parliament and their spouses and dependents are issued free air fare for flights to and from Ottawa, from their homes.

As the rest of us tighten our belts, it.s time that Members of Parliament open their books and let Sheila Fraser and her staff look them over.

Apparently there is no scandal brewing as has been seen in the British Parliament.

Auditor General Sheila Fraser wants to look into the millions of dollars in expenses Canada's MPs receive every year, but is finding resistance from the political establishment in Ottawa.

Canada's 308 MPs received about $127 million in expenses last year but there are no public details into exactly how that money was spent. Some $700,000 of that money is simply classified under "other."

The expenses are approved by an all-party committee, the Board of Internal Economy, and then audited by a private accounting firm.