Last seen being dragged kicking and screaming from their expense accounts…
According to a quarterly disclosure report, McLellan, the deputy PM in the Paul Martin government .who was defeated in her city riding, billed taxpayers $1,265 for a dozen employees to dine at the exclusive Rideau Club in Ottawa on Feb. 2 – nearly two weeks after she was voted out of office.
Meanwhile, ex-public works minister Scott Brison claimed $1,245 for two dinners at the swanky Italian eatery Mama Theresa’s after the Jan. 23 Grit defeat.
Meanwhile;
Immigration Minister Monte Solberg claimed $5.49 for a breakfast for two at the Lobby Lounge and a $16.71 lunch for two at Subway, while Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day hosted a lunch for three for less than $30…
(Via Maz2 in the comments.)
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.