MPs staying within expense-report guidelines

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This article was published 17/10/2017 (3020 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Manitoba’s 14 MPs have an affinity for Tim Hortons, fly home frequently and grapple with their large ridings, according to expense reports released by the House of Commons Speaker’s office.

A Free Press analysis of expense forms, hospitality claims and travel plans show none of Manitoba’s MPs have recently overspent. But the reports reveal some trends, such as Liberals going to community galas and Conservatives spending more on advertising.

Since April 2014, MPs have been required to submit detailed expenditure reports that break down how they used their budget, where they flew on the public’s dime, and how much they spend on hospitality.

Each expense category is subject to strict limits, such as $100 for office decorations, $250 per banner, and a 10 per cent cap on advertising. MPs who go over-budget pay out of their personal $172,700 annual salary.

In the latest annual expense reports, spanning April 2016 to March 2017, Manitoba’s MPs spent between $350,000 and $550,000.

Their budgets are determined by “resources provided by the House,” an allocation for travel, advertising and offices based on riding size, as well as “member’s budgets,” which includes all added spending such as employee salaries and staff.

They’re also given travel “points” to fly home and around Canada, so people based far from Ottawa don’t have to restrict their visits based on cost.

NDP MP Niki Ashton had the highest overall spending, at $551,274.55. Her House-provided budget is already higher because of her sprawling northern Manitoba riding (Churchill—Keewatinook Aski), but her own budget also led the pack.

Ashton says that’s because she has three offices, in Thompson, The Pas and Peguis, and lots of travel beyond that.

Like many MPs, Ashton says constituency offices have taken on greater roles with disability and pensions cheques, treaty-status issues and immigration questions, as Ottawa has reduced Service Canada staff.

Ashton’s filings also included more “special” travel points than other MPs — meaning trips to places in Canada outside her riding. She says that’s because her NDP critic role had her roving Canada to learn about precarious work among millennials.

“We undertook a national tour, the first of its kind. I was the first MP to talk about the issue of unemployment and underemployment among young people, and obviously the tour informed that,” Ashton said.

She added Commons officials consider trips to Winnipeg “special” and log them separately, even though they are often needed for her northern riding’s constituency work. “It’s a beef I’ve had for some time,” she said with a laugh.

Ashton did not expense trips to North Dakota last year to campaign for Democratic nominee Bernie Sanders. She wouldn’t have been able to, as U.S. trips are only allowed for political business, and only for New York City and Washington, D.C.

Her NDP colleague, Daniel Blaikie, had the lowest spending: $366,238.36.

Conservative MP James Bezan spent the most money on advertising, and had the second-highest overall spending among Manitoban MPs (a trend repeated in the recently filed reports for April-June of this year).

Bezan said that’s because of the nine community newspapers in his Selkirk-area riding, and the 18 highway signs that have started wearing out after almost a decade.

“Unlike the government of Canada — where often departments go way over-budget and taxpayers are on the hook — if we go over-budget, we pay for it out of our pockets,” said Bezan, who hired an extra staff member to help his role as the official critic for defence.

Winnipeg South Centre MP Jim Carr has the most expensive secondary residence, costing $24,027.91 over the 12-month period. The Liberal energy minister pointed out he spends a lot of time in Ottawa, and the amount is within the spending guidelines.

“We are very conscientious of spending public money,” he said. “We know we are accountable, as we should be.”

Dan Vandal, MP for the Saint-Boniface area, had the highest office-lease expenses, at $42,051. Vandal was on the HMCS Winnipeg and couldn’t be reached last week, but a staff member said the number is due to the size of his office.

Located in the Red Top plaza, the Liberal member’s office is wheelchair accessible, has parking and was used by the previous MP, the staff member notes.

Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Bergen had the second-highest office-lease expenses, though it’s split between two locations.

The Tory MP said in a statement it’s because her large, rural riding requires “two offices in order to provide my constituents with the best possible service,” even if neither come cheap.

“Southern Manitoba is booming, and while that is a great thing for the residents, it does mean that office space is at a premium,” she wrote.

MPs cannot spend more than three per cent of their budgets on hospitality and gifts, which no Manitobans exceeded. MPs of all stripes tend to spend these at local restaurants, community galas and even hunting clubs.

But the most common recipient of MP cash was Tim Hortons restaurants, which took in $977.08 from all three parties. Bezan spent the most at Tim’s, with $296.45 spread among five separate events.

The province’s most  generous MP is Ted Falk, who had the highest combined spending on the two areas.

Falk’s executive assistant, Mike Cancade, said that’s because of the Conservative’s two large constituency barbecues he held last summer, which brought out more than 1,600 locals. (He only held one this summer, so he expects a lower tab.)

“Mr. Falk attends numerous parades each year in his Provencher riding. As many members of Parliament across the country do, Mr. Falk hands out candy to the children along the parade routes,” Cancade wrote.

Falk’s expenditure reports also show frequent constituent meetings at Dairy Queen and Smitty’s Restaurant, but the amounts aren’t exorbitant.

Least generous was Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux, who spent the least in both gifts and hospitality.

“I don’t know what to say about that,” he said sheepishly.

“I believe the vast majority [of] members of Parliament of all political stripes behave extraordinarily well in terms of how they spend tax dollars,” he said. “They need to be spent with a great deal of respect.”

Lamoureux took the most trips home, logging 29.5 return flights on his own, which he says is needed to do his weekly Saturday constituent meetings.

But the most frequent flier was fellow Liberal Terry Duguid, who expensed 44.5 return flights to Winnipeg, including five by staff and 11 by family members.

“I’m in the riding religiously,” said Duguid. “I think I have only missed one entire weekend in my entire two years” as an MP, he said.

He noted some of his travel was for events as a parliamentary secretary, a role of representing and advising a minister. While travel for that role is normally arranged by the relevant minister’s office, Duguid said he occasionally dips into his personal MP budget, to avoid “bureaucratic hassle.”

Robert Sopuck, who represents an expansive Tory area encompassing Dauphin and Neepawa, had the third-highest expenses. He said that’s because his riding is the size of Nova Scotia but populated by small, spread-out towns.

“I’m probably one of the highest mileage MPs within the entire country,” he said. “My people have to travel a lot and I want to make sure they’re remunerated well.”

Sopuck had high spending on employee salaries, but the lowest advertising among Conservative MPs, which he attributed to small-scale newspapers with cheap rates.

The Free Press did not contact four MPs, as they had unremarkable expense reports: Liberals Doug Eyolfson (Headingley area), MaryAnn Mihychuk (Kildonan-St. Paul) and Robert-Falcon Ouellette (Winnipeg Centre), as well as Conservative Larry Maguire (Brandon-Souris).

Lamoureux said he’s glad the Commons started publishing expense reports three years ago.

“Proactive disclosure allows people to have a sense of how we’re spending the money,” he said. “They can make a judgement based on that.”

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca

Manitoba MP expense reports