Stoffer slams Harper’s Senate spending spree

OTTAWA – An analysis by Canada’s New Democrats has found Senators are charging taxpayers almost 220 per cent more for expenses while working less and less. Stephen Harper promised to end the practice of handing out Senate seats as party favours but his broken promise is costing taxpayers every day.

“The cost of Stephen Harper’s broken promise is now over $177 million, accounting for salaries, office and travel expenses for 27 Senators. In some cases, these Senators will sit for 41 years,” said New Democrat MP Peter Stoffer (Sackville—Eastern Shore). “And what are those Senators doing? Turning Mike Duffy into spam – it’s partisan work for public money.”

A never before released analysis of Senators’ expenses and attendance compiled by the New Democrats shows that Senators are charging more, while in some cases missing more than half the days the Senate sits.

In the last fiscal year, Senators charged $19.5 million in travel and office expenses, that’s 219 per cent more than they charged 14 years ago – a rate three times greater than the increase in overall government spending. Similarly, the costs of running the Senate have increased 94 per cent, 35 per cent more than the cost of the elected (and growing) House of Commons.

“The cost to taxpayers to maintain the comfortable lifestyle of these well-connected Liberal and Conservative friends has skyrocketed,” said Stoffer. “Yet Canadians don’t see Senators doing more work than they did 14 years ago. In fact, many of the same unelected Senators are charging you to pay for their lifestyle, while they aren’t even showing up to work.”

Stoffer pointed to some examples:

• Conservative Norman Atkins resigned in June – yet charged $7,000 per day for the 26 days he attended.
• Conservative Gerry St. Germain missed over 20 sitting days – yet had the 4th highest per diem expenses of any Senator.
• Liberal Sharon Carstairs missed almost 30 per cent of Senate sittings yet racked up $7,000 in expenses for every day she attended.
• Liberal Mobina Jaffer missed 20 sitting days yet charged taxpayers $7,882 per day she sat.
• Independent Liberal Raymond Lavigne had the worst attendance – yet taxpayers paid $52,000 a day for the two days he attended.

“Despite promising to be different, Stephen Harper is now hooked on patronage, just like the Liberals. As a result, our Prime Minister has thrown away any credibility he had on ethics and accountability,” Stoffer said.