In order to save bcl some time, how about this:
Typical of Solberg to not support Canadian multiculturalism by eating at Mama Theresas and to support American Imperialism by eating at Subway.

This isn't exercising an "entitlement" it is a crime...it's called fraud and breech of public trust and if we have evidence to print their crimes in the media we have the evidence to prosecute and punish them justly.....THIS is why there is continued corruption in government and THIS should be Harpers first priority in his promise to clean up government.

Time those politicians payed the same penalty for breaking the law as the plebians.

When Monte Solberg gets booted out of office in six months or so, no one will begrudge him one last farewell dinner for his staff and campaign workers. This is kind of a non-issue.

I know I'm picking nits here, but while Mama Theresa's is a fine restaurant, I'd hardly call it swanky. People eat there because the food and wine is fantastic, not because they're dining in the lap of luxury.

Of course, given Brison's reputation, he probably ate there for the attention. Not from the other patrons, mind you, but the good folks at Mama T's do tend to take care of VIP's.

bigcitylib, in McLellan's case, yes, her staff may deserve a farewell dinner, but $100 a person is a little rediculous.

John Baird cuts off the political "pork". Good job. Do it, no matter who is at the trough: Cut the "pork". Minister, are you reading this? Cut out/off the pork. +

Bad 'optics' force Tories to cancel untendered contract
Former Tory consultant was hired to work on much-hyped ethics plan
Glen McGregor, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Friday, April 07, 2006

Citing bad "optics" as it prepares its package of ethics reforms, the Harper government cancelled an untendered contract for advice on the Federal Accountability Act awarded to a consultant who worked with the Conservative transition team.

Marie-Josee Lapointe, who was an aide to former prime minister Brian Mulroney, was hired by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat to perform strategic communications work on the proposed accountability law, which will be introduced in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

Treasury Board President John Baird yesterday told the House that he acted as soon as his office was asked about her contract by the Citizen last week.

"The moment that my political staff and I learned of this contract it was immediately terminated," Mr. Baird said.

"I'm the minister and the buck stops with me, and the minister wasn't happy about it when he learned about it from a reporter," he said later. +
http://www.paulding.net/bin/url.cgi/13245.7
via nealenews

ok, would everyone that has an extra $1245 or $1265 in their pocket for "just one more dinner for my friends" please step forward?
... a non-issue?

Oh, my... what a surprise... Libranos continuing to rip us off.

Just as it's surprising that bears shit in the woods.

It's proof positive that the Libranos haven't learned their lesson... that Canadians rejected them for their thieving ways.

All the more reason for Canadians to continue their rightful contempt for the so-called "Liberal Party of Canada".

I often wonder whether I'm a liberal or a conservative but now I know.

As an executive with an open expense account I rarely spend any of it. While others in our company regularily spend $400 on lunch for 4 I usually end up at Tim Hortons with a sandwich deal for $5.49 each.

Our company policy forbids us from entertaining each other (fellow employees). When we have a big success and want to celebrate we're on our own.

Dear ex-saskite,

$100 a plate ridiculous in Ottawa? I don't know.
It sounds expensive, but not over the top. Lots of places in TO in the same price range; sometimes the food isn't even that good.

$100 a plate is ridiculous.

End of discussion.

The civil service entertains itself in the office for the fun of it at taxpayer expense. Big parties, hundreds of dollars of grub... and it happens a lot, taking away from the civvies' work time.

And I believe they believe it's an entitlement.

I expect this to change in the future. There's not much fiscal discipline among mandarins and this must be rectified, for the people voted for such change.

Kate, so was $30,000 on clothes; do you think Preston will have to upgrade if he runs in Calgary?

Is there anything, you wont apologizige for the Liberals about bigcitylib?

shakes his head and leaves for work

"non issue"
It's nothing!
Spoken like a true limosine liberal, a champagne socialist.

"Non issue" def./ libs stealing our money

Gauran-F'n-teed those restaurants kick back to scooter and screecher.
Totally corrupt scumbags!

"This is kind of a non-issue."

Posted by bigcitylib at April 7, 2006 09:54 AM

Of course this is a non-issue for a Liberal, Dingwall wasn't an issue for bcb, why would this be?

Leave it to a big city Librano to defend fat cattery paid for with other peoples' money.

Who the feck actually NEEDS to eat so bloody much as to absolutely require a $100 tab?

All I need for now is a banana and a $1 Kellog's Vector bar.

Kate:

This BCL guy is kind of handy to have around. Every time another example of Big City Liberal foolishness is required, BCL steps right up with a comment to reinforce the lesson.
I suppose your only concern may be whether the education is worth the nausea induced.
Decisions...decisions... ;)

Perhaps increasing MPs' salaries (which recently went up to a base salary of 147 thousand according to a report I saw) and removing any expense accounts or deductions or reimbursements they receive would solve some of the real and perceived abuses.

Whether it's $5.49 for breakfast or $1,245 for dinner, I fail to see why the taxpayer should be on the hook for it. Eliminating the paperwork involved in those claims & reimbursements would save the government money, not to mention a number of trees.

When they realize the expenses in question come out of their own pockets, MPs might not be as generous with their dinner invitations.

BCL
has a job....
in our cities...
in canada....

for shame !!!

I went out to a very high end place here in Vancouver last friday, for the wife and I the TOTAL bill with tip was $100. We had many drinks, live entertainment and great food. For some liberano scum to spend 4 times that of MY MONEY is a crime. Time for these fraudsters to do jail time.

Dear Free,

Calling a place "high end in Vancouver" is like calling some person the worlds tallest midget.

Honestly, such Blo Vating over a goodbye dinner. It will be interesting when the first Tory spending scandel hits. I guess the line then will be that "everyone does it".

They're liberals ,....It's what they do!

Have those gold plated overlords submitted there after dinner gum receipts yet.
That will be a further $200 worth of NEW shit-eating-grin dentyne.

We as a country need to see some of these liberal politicos in orange coveralls and handcuffs.
Liberal/mafia member Explody Joe Morselli got off easy.

Yes bigkittyhairball, I would begrudge Monte a farewell dinner for his staff, on my dime.
Not going to happen in the real world though.
Right or wrong changes only for relativists like Canada's liberal supporters.

Free...
did you dine at onleys ? there black cod is the best.

Well, there goes 2 more eating places into bankruptcy because of their connection to the libs entitlements. To BCL, trace the Clarity Act to its beginnings, and see who really wrote it. Who presented it to the House, and who voted to defeat it, stole it, made a couple of changes and called it their own. Does Steven Harper ring a bell with you. Too bad the media will not tell the truth about this, but research Hansard, it is there.

The scene: Belinda Stronach's interview on Canada A.M. where she belaboured the Liberal Party's internal democratic deficit problems (i.e. backroom politics) as the main reason for bowing out of the leadership race.

The moment: When Belinda was asked if the changes she wants to see made by the Liberals are the same as what is now done by the Conservatives...her brief pained expression on her normally expressionless face was...priceless.

free..
re my above post did not mean to use your name as the sender. my bad. apologise

BCL:

Apparently you have not eaten in any Vancouver-area high end restaurants recently, or else you think that Swiss Chalet is "fine eatin".

But it IS amusing seeing your posts here...kind of like watching a game of "Whack-A-Mole".

Speaking as a person who dines out regularly, and as a person who has to utilize expense accounts, and as a person that wouldn't cross the road to piss Scott Brison down if he was on fire... I can't really see a problem with expensing a farewell dinner to staff... In fact, Brisons was pretty reasonable in my mind.

The personal dinner is out of line, and he did pay it back.

My wife and I ate yesterday at the Ranchmans Club, and the meal with drinks came out $250 with tip, and the last time I ate at in Vancouver at some little French joint in Kitts, dinner for four was upwards of $600.

I think it's great that the Conservatives are keeping a tight rein on expense's, but at the same time, I wouldn't want McKay hosting the US Ambassador at MCDonalds... There's frugal, then there's low brow, and I don't think it serves our interests to look too cheap as a Government.

It should be pointed out that Brison fed 17 people, and McCellan 12, so it's not that huge a tab for that, and I do think it's appropriate to expense that sort of dinner. If an employee of mine was leaving, we would certainly wine and dine them farewell, and I assure you the bill would be nasty big.

The last beerbuy for an outgoing employee cost $1400, and there was no food. Traditionally, the employee pays the beerbuy, but when it's someone who the whole office is going to show up for, we step in.

i was a waiter at a very high end steakhouse in toronto, 50 bucks a steak kinda joint. i had the pleasure of serving newly elected leader of the cpc, stephen harper and his boys. they had no problem blowing through a hundred bucks a plate and then some. of course this wasn't financed by the govt just the party so that's ok i guess?
ps... i resisted spitting in harper's salad but just barely.
pss... they were shitty tippers

pss... they were shitty tippers

Posted by davey at April 7, 2006 12:01 PM

Hey Davey, any chance your service was shitty ?? Maybe you got the tip you deserved.

just asking . . .

Here's davey... a Librano$ he is.

Gagliano has a brown envelope for you at table # 13. Davey, spit in Gag's salad, dare ya. Davey says he was... was a waiter. Are you on welfare now, Davey? +

"Well that didn't take long" says Librano$ +

Poster: Anonymeme:
.. cried out the Liberal MP !!!
Yes where's the Sponsorship money ..... and money given to Hurle-Earnscliffe in the hundreds of thousands with impunity and scorn???

The corrupt Liberals had the practice down to an art ... and millions flowed to it's friends with the subsequent kickbacks to the Liberal party.

The Liberal party is the party of croox ... believe it .... !!! +
http://www.voy.com/178771/11676.html

eye wuz a wayter at a very hye end strip joint in aughttawa, ya know, kind like 100 buck u plate and had thu plezure uf serving thu outgoing greyt leader and teacher stalin, um eye mean martin, and he ugh had no problum blowin over a hundert bukz and then some. of course this wuz ugh financed bye the tax peyers and eye didnt rezist spitting in hiz salad. sorry two saigh they didnt tip at all, they blew their wad on the strippers.

Given that Davey was about to spit in his client's salad, I'm not surprised he ended up with a lousy tip. If he had that level of disrespect for his client, he didn't deserve what he got.

Sounds like an FU to the country for not voting them in again. This kind of attitude is pervasive with these low lifes. "Alberta can blow me" - for example. Exposing these petulant little punks and the 'bigcityidiots' who support them will continue to demolish their support from voters.

I was a waiter at a very high end south-east asian vegetarian sushi bar in Toronto, 250 bucks a seaweed roll type of joint. I had the pleasure of serving Stephen Harper, Preston Manning, Mike Harris and George W. Bush. They had no problem blowing through 750 bucks a plate and then some. Of course this wasn't financed by the govt just the party so thats ok i guess?
ps none of them gave me any tip, none of them washed their hands in the bathroom and they all had bad breath

Davey,

I live in Toronto and regularly go to the better steakhouses - Harbour 60 for example. So I guess I'm qualified to say that the steakhouse you refer to couldn't have been high-end at all - they wouldn't have had a meathead like you working there.

Man... there's nothing more disgusting than someone who doesn't wash their hands in a restroom. Bloody disease factory.

BCL: I'v been watching your posts although I disagree with everything you write. It has on occasion been presented logically and with aplomb.

Now today you go and spoil it.

I'll still vote for Stephen of course. I just won't shake his hand at the next riding meeting.

Re William Macdonell's post at 12:00:

I agree, considering the number of people at the functions, the bills do not seem out of line. Last week dinner for me & wife was close to $200.
I think the press is a little out of line on this story.

Brison's actions in expensing the personal meal is disconcerting, however. Anyone who has worked in Ottawa and has managed a hospitality budget is well aware of the rules, and the circumstances outlined are clearly not permitted...no grey area there at all.

My speculation...he got caught, and paid up only because he DID get caught.

Explain to a family on a fixed budget if they can blow $100 a plate? That is a good portion of their monthly food bill! Shame on anyone that thinks that its okay to irrationally spend that kind of tax payers money! $100 a plate for the Queen or visiting Head of State visiting maybe, MP's breakfast or farewell lunch, beyond the realm of reality....(Remember what the GG and family spent before her appointment.)

Jeff, Goodness Me! As a few others have mentioned, I just don't think 1) sending off your staff is that big a deal. If you're okay with that then 2), depending where you live, $100 a plate (12 people = $1,200) isn't that big a deal.

If the tories want to tighten the rules on this kind of thing, then go ahead. I just hope we don't see Harper cooking hotdogs on the parliament building lawn or eating bacon chips.

Just heard on CBC- COFFIN IS GOING TO JAIL FOR 18 MONTHS. House arrest overturned. First sponsorship conviction with jail time. Will there be more to follow.

...and my kid goes hungry again in order to feed pigs.

Expense accounts are dangerous things, and you have to have good management in order to make sure they don't get abused. I'm regularly berated for not using mine enough, but I'm never shy when it's required.

It's the mentality of the Manager that dictates whether or not an expense account is used wisely, or abused.

I can't remember who, either Volpe or that asswipe who replaced Copps... Valari?? Who was ordering $100 pizza's. Now that's out of line, and I have yet to experience a pizza I'd pay $100 bucks for. Then there's Dingwall, who charged a pack of gum. Frankly, I'm not going to persecute someone for charging a pack of gum, that's a little too nitpicky for me, although I do think a person should pay for something like that on their own.

If the Minister is responsible with their usage, then the staff will likewise watch how they use their privledges... Ultimately it's the Minister who must set the example.

I have one fellow working for me who routinely submits $2 to $3K worth of expenses monthly, and his associate never submits more than $1k, yet both do numbers which correspond to their expenses, so I have no issue with either. I make a personal habit of not spending on expense, because I feel a responsibility to set the example, but it won't stop me when it's appropriate. More than once I've walked into a bar and flipped the company creditcard out along with the words "everyone drinks for free until I leave".

That's the litmus test, when is it worth spending, and when is it spending because you can. Spending others money because you can is the exact wrong attitude, and it comes about because the manager thinks that way.

I say if $100 spent on lunch is going to garner $1000 somewhere else, then spend away. If $1000 gets you $10000, spend away. It's irrelevant whether it's the government or private business. You have to spend a little sometimes to get more.

If your spending $100, and you get no results, give me my $100 bucks back. If I'm spending a hundred to say thank-you for the good work an employee has done, well thats Ok too.

If these parties were held later they could have saved 1% on GST. Are those costs with or without the GST and tip.

If I have lunch and it costs $ 4.57 tax included, how much of a tip should I leave?

*sound of cell door slammming*

Someone better tell Mr. Coffin it's best to avoid dropping the soap in the shower...

If your cheap, .45 cents. If your a nice person Mr. Day, a buck.

The overwhelming majority of taxpayers pay for their own meals, all of them. I think it is time to end taxpayer funding of government AND corporate welfare in this area. Save welfare for the truly needy.

The overwhelming majority of taxpayers pay for their own meals, all of them. I think it is time to end taxpayer funding of government AND corporate welfare in this area. Save welfare for the truly needy.

Absolutely shockingly disgusting.

What these "entitled" LIEberals spend {of TAX PAYERS MONEY} on lunch could feed a family of four for a week or even longer! They are such an arrogant bunch of losers they make me want to puke! Is it a prerequisite to have an IQ of less than 25 to be a LIEberal? One would think. Dave, the waiter, maybe if you continued with your education or at least got your grade eight, you wouldn't have to be waiting tables. You could have a real job complete with "entitlements"!

As a taxpayer Id gladly foot the bill for another 100 liberal farewell lunches even at a grand a pop.

how many can we get before their big entitlements kick in.

at least Scooter Brison wont have a spousal RRSP to fish off some of his benefits too.

steve d said: "Save welfare for the truly needy." +

Coffin received $1.6 million from AdScam Chretien/Martin over 6 years.

Where is the $1.6 million stashed? Where is Joe Enforcer Morselli stashed? +

"If he doesn't appeal, Coffin will become the first person involved in the sponsorship scandal to do actual jail time." +
http://www.paulding.net/bin/url.cgi/13245.12

Nothing more contemptuous than having to pay for a party you weren't even invited to.

the prime minister should follow monte's example and dine at subway also. it worked for that fat bastard jarrod afterall.

a hundred G's to be rid of the Liberal Blight, what a bargooon!!! if it were only so simple.

that would be a party we would all enjoy.

so Celines sister Stephanie is going to run, what next some guy that has lived abroad for 30 years??

Im surprised that CBCpravda hasnt been touting the spawn of the dead-ex PET- Justin.they did marvel at his eloquence a year or so ago.

Anyone else here think he looks more like Mike Jagger than Pierre???

let's just hope the tories learn which fork to use before they host a state dinner. the meatball sub ain't going to cut it.

"let's just hope the tories learn which fork to use before they host a state dinner. the meatball sub ain't going to cut it."

Heh...in 1994 the newly-elected Lib government hosted a state dinner for very high-ranking politicians from India. It was held in the dining room of the Lester B. Pearson building on Sussex Drive, a very posh facility indeed. Trouble was, the entree was STEAK! Apparently the Libs didn't realize that those of the Hindu persuasion DON'T EAT BEEF.

Nuff said...

Did anyone stop to consider that the average taxpayer does not have twelve hundred bucks to spend on dinner or lunch? Perhaps some of you do or can write it of as an expense, again courtesy of the taxpayer, but the average Canadian with bills to pay and an ever increasing taxload, cannot afford such an indulgence. Politicians making over a hundred grand a year, don't need the average bill and mary's help in dining out and considering how the governments and politicians of the last fifty years, have run this once proud country, nor do they deserve it. Now please excuse me, I have an appointment with a tax specialist, late filing again. Isn't it nice to know that at the prices politicians pay to stuff their fat corpulant faces, that my tax contribution will be eaten up in a dozen or so meals. Leftists always believe in a free lunch, problem is, it's usually some poor working smuck who foots the bill.

E-mail: budget2006consult@fin.gc.ca

Department of Finance Canada

- Consulting with Canadians - Active Consultations -

Started April 6, 2006
Online Pre-Budget Consultations for Budget 2006 and Beyond

Note: A consultation is not a poll. Please do not send multiple or duplicate submissions. Views expressed will be made available to the Minister of Finance as part of the budget-formulation process.

Closing date: April 19, 2006

Who may respond:

This consultation is open to anybody interested in participating

Consultation Documents:

* Invitation by the Honourable James M. Flaherty, P.C., MP, Minister of Finance, to Pre-Budget Web Consultations
* Harper Government Launches National Web-Based Pre-Budget Consultations: A First for Canada (News Release (2006-004)

Key Consultations Issues

Without restricting other comments you make, we would appreciate your views on the following questions:

1. What would you like to see in Budget 2006 and future budgets?
2. If you propose further tax cuts - or spending increases - where should the government spend less?
3. How can the government deliver programs more efficiently and effectively?

To place these questions in context, see the Minister’s Consultation Invitation.
To respond, you can use one of the following options:

E-mail: budget2006consult@fin.gc.ca

Regular mail: +
http://www.fin.gc.ca/activty/consult/prebud_e.html

Excellently said, Greg!!

MPs expensing what should be their personal expense for wining and dining their own employees is a new development that should be STOPPED immediately. Meanwhile, McLellan should be taken to court. Even if House rules have been amended to make feeding your own employees at taxpayers' expense legal, she would have lost the privilege the moment she was defeated.

As for Solberg's expense account, "How chintzy can you get?" He earns $218,500 a year and can't even buy his own breakfast? It is to puke.

Greg--absolutely correct re the fat cats stuffing their faces courtesy of the taxpayer.

Below an LTE my daughter wrote after the disgusting statements made in the House yesterday regarding fast food workers--

Dear ---
I was forwarded some horrendous statements made by Paul Szabo and Penny Priddy during the Throne Speech debate yesterday concerning child care in Canada. I missed the debate, as I was working at Wendy’s where I am a manager. Here they are:
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.parl.gc.ca/39/1/parlbus/chambus/house/debates/004_2006-04-06/HAN004-E.htm#Int-1499812

Mr. Szabo: In terms of providing, or moving toward quality care and early childhood development, does the member think we should be investing money in the current system to bring the standards of personnel within the system up to higher levels than McDonald's employees so that we could take the first step toward establishing quality child care for Canadian children?

Ms. Penny Priddy: Mr. Speaker, certainly we should expect people who care for our children to be better educated than those who prepare their hamburgers. The money is well spent on education for all kinds of child care providers.
-------------------------------------------------
I find it appalling that some MPs would insult the intelligence level of the largest group of workers in the country, those employed in the service sector. Working (for peanuts) in a fast food restaurant is one of the most difficult jobs out there. The forty staff in my store is the hardest working group of people I have ever had the privilege to work with. At least half of those staff has children themselves, and some work two or three jobs to support their families. I have nothing but the utmost respect for them.

To those MPs who would say that you need only a bare minimum of intelligence to work at a fast food place, I wonder if you could handle a day at my store? Nobody who has ever worked an honest day in their lives would say that fast food is an easy job. MPs who think otherwise should get back to reality and get in touch with their constituents, most of whom are working in the service sector. The NDP claims to be the party of the blue-collar worker, but then it turns around and insults the very people it "represents." The Liberals are so far out of touch that they forget the people who pay for them to line their pockets are the very group that they are belittling. It is truly a shame that the people at the top forget that their success is built upon the backs of the people at the bottom.

By the way, three of the people in my store including myself have bachelor’s degrees. Most of the others are working their way through post-secondary education. There is a high enough intelligence level that we remember it is us who keep the country going, not the fatcats in Parliament. They should be careful about what they say.

A. Trudeau said: “I wasn’t alive then," said Trudeau... re pere P. Trudeau's FLQ "crisis" role.

The Islamist terrorists "chaperone" infidels to their death. Beware, A. Trudeau.

A. Trudeau says, "Nothing is neutral".

If you are not neutral, which side are you on, A. Trudeau?

We demand to know. +

Trudeau says he'll chaperone terror suspect

Alexandre Trudeau, whose father ordered hundreds of Quebecers locked up under the War Measures Act in 1970, said Friday he would chaperone a suspected terrorist to make his life easier.
...

Alexandre Trudeau questions terror law
Says government hasn't proved Adil Charkaoui a threat to national security
Apr. 7, 2006. 05:10 PM
NELSON WYATT
CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL — Alexandre Trudeau said Friday he would chaperone a man with alleged links to Al Qaeda to make the suspect’s life easier, prompting questions about his late father’s crackdown on Quebec terrorists.

“I wasn’t alive then," said Trudeau before declining to comment on any suggested similarities between the security certificate used to arrest Adil Charkaoui and the War Measures Act invoked by then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau in 1970 to lock up hundreds of Quebecers.
...
Asked if he is taking a neutral stand on the issue in his film, Trudeau replied: “Nothing is neutral.” +
http://www.paulding.net/bin/url.cgi/13245.13

"Immigration Minister Monte Solberg claimed $5.49 for a breakfast for two at the Lobby Lounge..."

!! Breakfast for two, for $5.49??

In CANADA??

Or did he have to fly to some third world country to get that price? :))

Seriously, great going Mr. Solberg. At least the CPC government is showing itself to be a little more down to earth in their approach to expenses.
NOT like those free-loading, trough-snorting, entitlement hogs from the Librano Party.

These aren't just MP's.

They were a cabinet minister and a deputy PM.

They couldn't treat their empoyees by paying out of their own pocket!!

What, they're not paid enough??

If I want to thank my employees for a job well done I pay for it myself.

Politicians should do the same.

BCL....I work in downtown Ottawa. Every Friday a group of us go out to one of the many fabulous restaurants in the Market. We eat very well, including a glass of vino or two, and very rarely does my bill top 40 bucks.........and that includes tip. It is an issue, and further proof that the Libranos love to spend....especially if it's someone elses money. Yep, Solberg will be out of a job in 6 mos,,,,,,,,but there will be a triumphant return when the Canadian public returns the Conservatives back into power with a majority!!

Did they mention how many of the other friends were also members of the Ottawa press gallery????

I am tending to think that the reason they are hammering SH for being fat and unfashionable is because there are no more $100, $200, or more lunches anymore. Any truth in that question?

The party is over and they hate it

Its nice to see the Conservatives living up to the bar.

That said. I do think that the expense accounts of politicians should reflect there endevors, or lack of ones, in the positions they are head of.

I have no problems on them going on junkets that creates buisness. If they fail they pay.

I think where all tired of the 8 month vacations all expense paied, by Canadian voters for Pols & there familys to warmer climes every year.

That really wrankles me. Its why the press & pundints where so outraged at having a winter election. They could have been gadflying about Europe or South America, Australia or south China instead of cold Ottawa. Using entitled liberaqls as an excuse to follow them out of the ice box.

Kate.... I'd like to see the expense accounts of the oil executives who have bought Solberg, Day and the Conservatives and write off their "business" lunches on the public tit. Bet they don't consider $100.00 a plate at all ridiculous.

I see that Mr Harper want to buy a few planes at about a billion dollars each, instead of the $400 million "dinkeys" the Libs had proposed.
How many $100 dinners could you buy with the difference ??

judging by harper's growing girth, the discount dining won't be a top priority for long. i love the righteousness here at the blogging tories. i can't wait until the boys get a little more comfortable in ottawa.for christ's sake, since when were the fat cat tories known for living rough? mulroney never met a 5 star restaurant he didn't like. i would never deny that the grits ripped us off but get over yourselves boys and girls. harper and his govt will be as lean as rump roast once they get their majority.

The way to solve the 'dining out at our expense' politicians is to only elect addicted tobacco smokers to office. This simple act would save taxpayers millions.

zuma said: "Kate ... the oil executives who have bought Solberg, Day and the Conservatives..."

To zuma: Give us the names, home addresses, business addresses, companies, & etc. of these "oil executives".

Is zuma a Librano$?

And Paul Martin must wonder why canadians voted to remove this jackass from office if my martin wants to see the reason why then he should look in a mirror

zuma - horses ass. Further to maz2 request, since you know all, please provide the dates.

Zuma wouldnt know an oil executive if one kicked him in the nuts.
Not that they do that sort of thing on any regular basis.

I wish I could be indignant about this - I can't. Although, I don't agree with abuse (read line your pockets) ... I can see spending appropriate to the position they have had/do have.

I also do not expect a member of the government to pay out his own pocket $1.5K ($5 x 300 days) for coffee.

This all is in contrast of billions blown - I find myself in agreement with BCL ... chase down the billions not the thousands.

While I agree with the disgust shown at these politicians who feel they can piss away OUR money with wasteful excess,I do find it funny how people try to twist it into their own
little partisan world.
It is friggin silly to think another party would be any less arrogant in it's habits after 13 yrs in power.Don't tell me you've ALREADY forgotten the arrogance of the Mulroney government that ultimately led to the extinction of the party.What about the reformers who took the rich TAXPAYER FUNDED pension after swearing not to.
This is a problem with PEOPLE of all leanings who lose their perspective after living off the taxpayer for years.
The liberals' actions have disgustted me as much as the next guy(maybe more)but that does not mean Cons,NDP or Bloc would be any less in the trough after 13 years.
Ya talk about glass houses...

ural
And why the hell not? MPs are in the top 2% of Canadian income earners? If they had any personal pride they wouldn't even think of having their meals and snacks paid for.

It's the small stuff that breeds public contempt for politicians and takes away their credibility when they attack waste and extravagance on the big stuff.

Case in point: When the first Reformers got to Ottawa they made a big thing of declining special perks and privileges - even had a special internal report on it. That all lasted about 10 minutes, and the first one to do any serious troughing was good old Preston Manning. If they hadn't made a big deal of it in the first place, nobody would have given it much thought, but they were perceived to be hypocrites and it hurt the party badly.

Of course the real payoff was when big-mouth Deborah Grey did a 180 and jumped into the gold-plated pension trough. Hypocrites, liars, thieves and whores - plenty of them in all parties, with an honoured few maintaining their principles.

And I repeat that when Monte Solberg, with a salary of $218,50, submits an expense claim for his breakfast, he is a chippy chisler.

Made a typo. Solberg's salary is $218,500.

I don't care who it is, which party they belong to or how much it costs; I don't want to pay for their food.

Even backbenchers make more money than I likely ever will.

I don't think PMSH took the pension plan, anyone know for sure?

Zog,

Each to their own. My MP is Lib ... I didn't vote for him ... I will never vote Lib (or worse NDP) ... period. I don't care how much he gets paid by the government (by us). I do expect him to get covered for the expenses he pays serving the people in my riding - I don't expect he will buy me a coffee out of his pocket because I'm in his riding ... I think we 66k people here.

I don't care how much Monty earns ... you could go for his job also. Would you be happier if he put in for a $500 breakfast because he wasn't a "chippy chiseler" at that amount?

For those of you disgruntled Libranos who think that the Conservatives are 'cheap' or 'chippy chiselers': It is so obvious that you cannot discern proper, ethical expense accounting practices from the piggies-at-the-trough practices of your crooked librano heros, that it is pathetic. Wake up and grow up, you bunch of deposed whining entitlement freaks!

First, purely in terms of expense accounts and use of public funds for hospitality, this is a complete non-issue.

Treasury Board (TB) establishes clear guidelines and rates for what may or may not be charged to the Crown.

This is also a truly non-partisan issue; all governments regardless of political orientation cheerfully "stiff" the tazpayer alike for hospitality so don't expect the Tories to be any different. Get over it.

Personally, I always found that TB tended to be very strict about who may claim what.

Furthermore, it has been my experience that Canadian hospitality allowances are extremely parsimonious compared to those of many other countries; we're a bunch of stingy Presbyterians, especially where (heaven forbid!) alcohol is involved. So much so that overseas TB guidelines have had to be established to prevent Canadian diplomatic missions from the embarrassment of serving Cheezies and soft drinks at receptions. About the only other country that is just as cheap as Canada is the US.

Now all that said, I AM curious to know how a minister could get away with wining and dining her own employees and I'd love to see the paperwork (i.e., who signed off on that one).

Rather than bleat about $100-a-plate dinners, it would be more worthwhile to ATIA the hospitality claims. That WOULD be interesting.

Again, in my experience, TB just makes this sort of thing near impossible.

Entertain private business and foreign government/diplomatic representatives, fine. But generally it's a no-no to freely extend hospitality to your own staff.

Re ural's observation (12:17 a.m.) that he doesn't expect a member of the government to pay out of his/her own pocket for coffee to the tune of $1500/year: I sure as H___ do.

Multiply the number of MPs by $1500 and that's a whopping amount of taxpayers' hard earned cash for, essentially, a luxury. No one NEEDS to drink coffee: and it's not getting any cheaper. MPs should drink their coffee at home and have a good coffee maker at the office. Put it in a thermos that pours and you'll have all the coffee you'll need for the rest of the day.

OR let the taxpayer pay for ONE $2.00 coffee (my Timmy Horton's costs only $1.40)--MAX.

To the further comment by ural that we poor, benighted taxpayers should "chase down the billions not the thousands" has he never heard of the saying that if you can't be trusted in small things, neither can you be trusted in big things: like governing a country?

ural doens'nt seem to get it: It's the principle of the thing. If it's wrong to bilk the public out of billions then it's equally wrong to bilk them out of millions, thousands, or hundreds. We need to get our priorities straight here--which is what the CPC seems to be doing.

Good on ya' Monty and Stock. Show those Librano$ and all their fans how things should be done!!

Every office I have ever worked in we had either a coffee fund we all paid into or we had to go across the street to the coffee shop and BUY OUR OWN. Either way the money for the coffee I drank came out of my pocket. Why would anyone think that it's OK for one of our employees to bill us for their consumption. i.e.anyone in the government.

I'm not to sure what the new numbers are but at one time recently we were only allowed to submit claimes of 45.00 for food to a total of 95.00 a day which included accommadation anything above is considered a taxable benefit. Why is this not the same for them.

Hey Joe Canuck, what make you think that I'm a bloody Liberal? Conservative to the bone actually, and aa Alliance member before that . Your inference that only a Librano would be concerned by a Conservative cabinet minister with his hat out for spare change is an embarrasment to Conservatives. Is it too much to expect MPs to show at least a trace of class?

As mentioned, hardly a swanky place. Interesting note on Revenue canada disclosures - 12 employees, same place for $531. OK it was 2004 and there is inflation and all that - but it must have been one large tip!.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/agency/expenses/ray/2004/0115h1-e.html

ahhh, sorry to break this to you, BUT ALL POITICIANS OF ALL STRIPES DO THIS, or are you forgetting Brian Mulroney? With Chubbs McHarpers' (and typical Alliance)integrity, the neocons will be doing the same thing if not already. Look for the ultra religious to be 1st in line for hand-outs. Chubbs McHarper has made many promises that will have to be repaid.

And now PAUL MARTIN is wondering why his liberal party were put out of office by the voters. I heard where a father of a murder victim called him a JACKASS for going around calling for more gun control laws

"Hey Joe Canuck, what make you think that I'm a bloody Liberal?"

Well, excuse me Zog. My mistake. But you sure sounded like one of those high-flying-at-taxpayer-expense libranaos. Just what is 'cheap' about someone in government submitting a legitimate expense claim? So what if it is only for a few bucks? And so what if the claim comes from a cabinet minister? Where would you draw the line as to who in government should be allowed valid expense claims, and who should not? Perhaps you would be happier if the minister had claimed some outrageous amount just so he wouldn't look so 'cheap'? You know, sort of like the libranos did all along during their dozen years of soaking the public??

Zog: I'm with Joe Canuck (4:18 a.m., April 10): add up all the $5.49s and why should Monte Solberg be paying for breakfast out of his own pocket? Presumably he has family expenses that need to be covered and being a Cabinet Minister, he often CAN'T be home for meals. Get it?

MPs have LEGITIMATE expenses and it seems like maybe the members of the CPC understand how to properly use their expense accounts. The Libranos were far too extravagant, which is particularly galling to those of us living on modest incomes but who are TAXED TO THE MAX. I don't mind my taxes going to fixing highways and paying for legitimate health care, but for $1000 dinners for their farewell dinners? I DON'T THINK SO!

As I pointed out in a previous post, there is a difference between what Landslide Annie did (and for which I tink that prosecution should be in order) and MPs who don't break any specific rules but who fell entitled to their entitlements of full time taxpayer support, leaving them free to hoard their salaries.

I would remind you that, until 5 years ago, MPs drew an annual tax free expense allowance of $30,000 to compensate for the great hardship of living away from home. This was cancelled and, as a quid pro quo, their salaries were nearly doubled. This was supposed to make it unnecessary for them to submit cheat sheets. And, oh yeah, they still receive an annual housing allowance which was, the last time I looked, $12,000.

Maybe we should reduce their salaries to something similar to what they could earn in the real world and give the poor darlings no-limit Visa cards.

We don't have heriditary royalty (except for the ones in England who we aren't taxed to support), but over the last 30 years or so, we have created our own little royalty in Ottawa. As long as we're paying their incidental expenses and catering to their every need, perhaps we should hire a personal servant for each one so that, like Prince Charles, they could have their toothpaste squeezed for them.

Time for a little Treasury Board ass kicking to "educate" any greedy little buggers who are routinely milking the system.