Senate Liberals still aren’t fessing up to how much taxpayers spent on flights for their spouses.
The now independent Senate Liberal caucus recently posted its latest quarterly travel expenses and, same as last time, spousal travel expenses have been excluded. There are no set plans to reveal this information in the future.
“It makes you wonder if there’s a problem, whether someone’s been abusing the spousal travel provisions, and it doesn’t build public confidence,” said Gregory Thomas, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
Because they are often away from home, senators choose someone, most often a spouse, who can travel at taxpayers’ expense for a reunion. But the upper chamber’s travel policy also warns members to be fiscally responsible.
In February, some top-spending Conservative senators faced criticism when certain media outlets reported expenses such as frequent pricey flights for their wives.
At the time, Senate Liberals were spared the spotlight because they hadn’t yet disclosed their expenses. When the Liberal Party finally posted its numbers on Feb. 24, it left out spousal travel for both MPs and senators.
That infuriated some, including Senate Liberal George Baker, who quickly declared, "To leave out your spousal travel is ridiculous, that's a part of your total expenditure."
James Cowan, leader of the Senate Liberal caucus, suggested at the time his members could offer more in the future. "Will we include spousal travel or will we include other things? That's the discussion we're having now," he said.
But not much has changed. The Liberal Party expelled its senators earlier this year, and they’re now posting their own expenses.
