MLAs point out mistakes in expense lists
Posted Feb 12, 2010 05:52:14 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Some MLAs are raising eyebrows at their own expenses after the release of the auditor general’s report.
A few ministers are questioning the speaker’s record keeping, including former Tory MLA Mark Parent.
He says he claimed expenses for three printers and four ink cartridges – not seven printers, as reported.
Likewise, interim Tory leader Karen Casey says she didn’t buy six printers but rather three, plus three warranties.
Premier Darrell Dexter says an interim report on expense allowances to be submitted by former speaker Art Donahoe will examine the issue.
“(Donahoe) was going to be looking at the whole question of whether or not the Speaker’s office was properly resourced,” said Dexter. “Do they have the capacity to actually process, analyze and determine the status of claims as they come forward.”
Deputy premier Frank Corbett says publishing the reason for particular purchases will help give MLA expenses context.
“The purpose of making it a public document, like an online document, is that people would be able to say, ‘Okay, now I understand why such and such an MLA made this purchase. I agree with that,'” he said. “It’s the purchase by itself that kind of makes people shake their head.”
The former Tory MLA named as the biggest spender over a three-year period is not commenting on the scandal – but Len Goucher has said he doesn’t know where the expense for a copy of Dance Dance Revolution came from.
Goucher, who ran up more than $43,000 on computers, printers and cameras, says he won’t say anything publicly until he’s spoken to the auditor general’s office.
