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February 26, 2014

House of Commons Should Follow Lead of Senate: Party Leaders Urged to Move Motion

Charlottetown Senator Percy Downe has written all party leaders in the House of Commons (letter attached), urging one of them to show leadership in moving a motion inviting the Auditor General to conduct a comprehensive audit of members’ expenses.

“Canadians expect Parliamentarians to manage their budgets with careful consideration, but they also expect to see proof of that consideration,” writes Downe in the letter.

While the Senate of Canada has already agreed to allow the Auditor General to conduct a comprehensive audit of all Senators’ expenses, “to audit only the upper chamber of Parliament without doing the other is to do half the job,” says Downe, “less than half, actually, because the budget of the House of Commons is more than four times that of the Senate. It’s a matter of transparency, and there’s no such thing as partial transparency.”

Auditor Generals, both past and present, have advocated for independent comprehensive audits of Parliament. As recently as November of last year, current Auditor General Michael Ferguson noted that an audit of the House of Commons would “strengthen Members’ accountability” and “enhance public confidence in the governance mechanisms of the House of Commons.” His remarks echo those of his predecessor, Sheila Fraser, who once said simply “I think Parliament’s auditor should audit Parliament.”

“Canadians are requesting that Parliament be more transparent in how and where it spends public funds. The Senate of Canada has already agreed to allow the Auditor General to conduct a comprehensive audit of all Senators’ expenses. I call on you to move a motion requesting that the House of Commons follow the Senate’s example and invite the Auditor General of Canada to conduct a comprehensive audit of House of Commons expenses, including Members’ expenses. Canadians deserve nothing less”, concludes Downe in the letter.

 

For further information:
Senator Percy Downe: 613-943-8107
Or toll free at 1-800-267-7362   
www.sen.parl.gc.ca/pdowne


February 25, 2014

 

Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, PC MP
Prime Minister of Canada
Centre Block, Room 313S

Hon. Thomas Mulcair, PC MP
Leader of the Opposition
Centre Block, Room 409S

Justin Trudeau, MP
Leader of the Liberal Party
Centre Block, Room 533S

André Bellavance, MP
Interim Leader of the Bloc Québécois
Confederation Building, Room 442

Elizabeth May, MP
Leader of the Green Party
Confederation Building, Room 518


Leaders:

Canadians are requesting more transparency, particularly when it comes to the way their public institutions are run. Canadians expect all Parliamentarians to manage their budgets with careful consideration, but they also expect to see proof of that consideration. To that end, I urge you to show strong leadership on this issue by moving a motion requesting that the Auditor General conduct a comprehensive audit of the expenses of members of the House of Commons.

Auditor Generals, both past and present, have advocated for independent comprehensive audits of Parliament. In an appearance before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs in November of last year, current Auditor General Michael Ferguson noted that an audit of the House of Commons would “strengthen Members’ accountability” and “enhance public confidence in the governance mechanisms of the House of Commons.” His remarks happen to echo those of his predecessor, Sheila Fraser, who once said simply, “I think Parliament’s auditor should audit Parliament.” I agree with these sentiments, which is why I am introducing a motion in the Senate urging the House of Commons to do the right thing and invite the Auditor General of Canada to conduct such an audit of the expenses of Members of the House of Commons, the same of which is currently being undertaken in the Senate.

Canadians want their Parliament to be more transparent in how and where it spends public money, and a simultaneous audit is the best way to do that as it will provide a complete picture of how these funds are being spent.

In that regard, I now call on you to move a motion requesting that the House of Commons follow the Senate’s example and invite the Auditor General of Canada to conduct a comprehensive audit of Members’ expenses in order to display your own personal commitment to transparency. Canadians deserve nothing less.

Regards,
Percy E. Downe
Senator

 
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