Another day, another depressing example of Canadian senators being dickbags.
Postmedia reported Monday that Saskatchewan Senator Pamela Wallin attempted to retroactively change her travel calendar in an apparent effort to thwart auditors investigating her expense claims.
The Deloitte auditors found deleted entries in her Microsoft Outlook account by comparing it to the automatic backups in the Senate computer system.
What’s even weirder is that Wallin and her staff didn’t alter any of the actual expense claims, so deleting the entries in her calendar didn’t change the fact that there was documentary proof of her billing the Senate for various trips. Just who was this supposed to fool, anyway?
The Senate’s board of internal economy, which has been utterly useless in reigning in the various abuses of Senators drunk on public money, may consider referring the case to the RCMP.
Wallin may have to pay back as much as $140,000. (Wallin told reporters Monday that the audit was “flawed and unfair” but promised to pay back what the Senate decides she owes.) That’s still better than the $230,000 Liberal Senator Mac Harb owes the Senate, although he is contesting that in court.
If there’s a silver lining in all this for the former broadcaster it’s that she has been cleared of improper housing expenses. Given the current crop of senators in Canada’s Upper House, knowing where she lived is actually pretty impressive.
If we can’t abolish the Senate, let’s at least make it a volunteer body. If you want to be a bigshot with “senator” before you name, fine, but you’re on the hook for any costs incurred along the way.
[Postmedia] [image: Flickr]