Senator of the week: Raymond Lavigne – Most Expensive per days worked

November 27, 2009

The average Canadian would have to work every day for two and a half years to take home the amount that Canada’s least active Senator charged for only two days of work.

While Canadians are working harder and harder to make ends meet, Senator Raymond Lavigne showed up for work only twice last year. But he has a good excuse: the Liberal-appointed Senator is on leave while being investigated for “alleged use of Senate resources for personal gain.” (RCMP press release, 14 August 2007)

And while these charges prevent Lavigne from working very much, they haven’t prevented him from putting taxpayers on the hook for $58,000 in office expenses and $47,000 in travel, on top of his $132,000 salary. Seems there’s no price too high for the constituents who never elected Canada’s least active Senator.

Also in the top 10 highest spending Senators per day is Liberal Mobina Jaffer who charged $7,900 for each of the 41 days she attended. Coincidentally, Jaffer is also presently under investigation by the BC Law Society for over-billing. Senators Marilyn Trenholme-Counsell and Aurélien Gill each spent $7,000 a day on travel and perks before they resigned the Senate at age 75 as the rules require.

Senator	Political Affiliation	Prov. /Ter.	Appointed by	Days Attended in Fiscal 2008-09	Days Eligible to sit in Fiscal 2008-09	Total Expenses (FY 08-09)	Expenses per days attended (in $)
Lavigne, Raymond	Ind. Lib.	QC	Chrétien	2	61	104,939	52,469.50
Pitfield, P. Michael	Lib.	ON	Trudeau	6	61	72,920	12,153.33
Jaffer, Mobina S.B.	Lib.	BC	Chrétien	41	61	323,173	7,882.27
Trenholme Counsell, Marilyn	Lib.	NB	Chrétien	26	30	186,285	7,164.81
Atkins, Norman K.	P.C.	ON	Mulroney	26	61	182,591	7,022.73
St. Germain, Gerry	Con.	BC	Mulroney	40	61	279,399	6,984.98
Carstairs, Sharon	Lib.	MB	Chrétien	44	61	300,059	6,819.52
Watt, Charlie	Lib.	QC	Trudeau	46	61	308,781	6,712.63
Gill, Aurélien	Lib.	QC	Chrétien	15	30	100,288	6,685.87
Lovelace Nicholas, Sandra M.	Lib.	NB	Martin	40	61	266,033	6,650.83

“Senator of the Week” is a project by New Democrats to highlight the dubious achievements of Canada’s 105 unelected and unaccountable Senators.

Stephen Harper vowed he “will not name appointed people to the Senate.” Yet as Prime Minister he has broken that promise – 29 times and counting. As a result, Canadians are paying 220 percent more for Senators that Harper once called “a relic of the 19th century.””