Egypt

Congratulations to all Egyptians for regaining political stability, especially the ones who brought it about by their protests! I wish them the best of luck on the road to democracy. It seems that the many people who died and were badly injured in the protests did not do so in vain.

MPs' Expenses - From England to Canada

   I was in England when British MPs' expenses were leaked. The BBC states there were "claims for expensive TVs and furniture, MPs who claimed for more than one property by 'flipping' the designated second home and others who over-claimed for mortgages or services."

   British Members of Parliament had to pay back over a million pounds in claimed expenses and some were even prosecuted. Over half of the MPs in the British House of Commons were involved in the expenses scandal, and the rules regarding their expenses were criticised for being vague and lax. The rules were made by the MPs themselves! The country was outraged, especially when told all the details about MPs claiming for mock tudor beams, moat cleanings, and even a duck house.

   Then, back in Canada, I heard that our Auditor General, Sheila Fraser, was going to perform an audit on all of our MPs' expenses, because "it has been a very long time since an audit has been done of the House [of Commons]." Obviously, this is a good idea: there is nothing stopping Canadian MPs from abusing their expenses, just as there was nothing stopping the British MPs from claiming for tudor beams, moats, and duck houses... seriously, why would you need a duck house?! 

   Well, when our "Honourable Members of Parliament" heard that their Auditor General was going to audit them, they refused. Despite the public's overwhelming support of the audit, they told her she wasn't allowed to conduct an audit of the $533 million spent annually by the House of Commons and the Senate.

   Why am I writing about this now, when the audit was asked for almost a year ago? Because it still hasn't been done. Because $533 million is a lot of money, and our government just expects us to assume that it is being used properly, without any proof at all. Because the MPs' fear of the audit was evidence enough that they do have something to hide - that they aren't using the tax-payers' money responsibly. The Auditor General's job, according to the Canadian Auditor General Act, is to ensure that that the tax-payers' money is being used responsibly by "[making] such examinations and inquiries as [s]he considers necessary".

   But there was no audit, the media dropped their stories, and almost everyone has forgot about the issue. And the problem remains.