The House of Commons has defeated an NDP motion that would have ceased all funding to the Senate, while members of the upper chamber prepare to continue debating a motion that would see Canada鈥檚 auditor general launch an investigation in the expanding expense scandal.
MPs voted down the NDP motion that states 鈥渁ll funding should cease to be provided to the Senate beginning on July 1, 2013.鈥� The debate got underway after the House鈥檚 daily question period, and it was voted on at 10:30 p.m. However, the motion was essentially dead in the water well before the vote, given the Conservatives鈥� majority in the House.
NDP MP Mathieu Ravignat kicked off the debate in the House Wednesday afternoon, asking whether Canadians 鈥済et our bang for the buck when it comes to the Senate.鈥�
Ravignat outlined the details of the ongoing expenses scandal, and said 鈥渨e can鈥檛 expect (senators) to police themselves.鈥�
He called the Senate 鈥渙ut-dated and fundamentally anti-democratic,鈥� before later imploring MPs to 鈥渄o Canadians and our democracy a favour and let鈥檚 shut off the tap and empty the trough.鈥�
Conservative MP Tim Uppal, the minister of state for democratic reform, dismissed the motion as a 鈥済immick.鈥�
Asked Wednesday morning if the motion would essentially create a volunteer Senate, Mulcair replied: 鈥淚f they believe in what they鈥檙e doing, I鈥檓 sure they鈥檙e willing to work as volunteers.鈥�
A moment later he added: 鈥淲e鈥檒l organize carpooling for them if we can figure out where they actually live.鈥�
Mulcair said the motion is consistent with his party鈥檚 position that the Senate be abolished.
鈥淭he NDP has been clear for over 50 years that we find it absolutely unacceptable in a democratic society to have unelected people imposing laws on the population. That鈥檚 why we want to get rid of the Senate,鈥� he told reporters. 鈥淪o today we鈥檙e going to be asking everybody else whether or not they鈥檙e serious about doing something about the Senate, and we鈥檙e going to start with defunding the Senate.鈥�
Senators, meanwhile, debated a motion put forward by Sen. Marjory LeBreton, the Senate鈥檚 government leader, on Wednesday calling for Auditor General Michael Ferguson to look into all Senate expenses, including expense claims filed by individual senators.
The debate was adjourned Wednesday afternoon without the motion being put to a vote, and was expected to resume Thursday.
Conservative Sen. Don Plett said he has 鈥渆very reason to believe that it will pass almost unanimously,鈥� and said he has already written to Ferguson asking that he be one of the first to be audited when it does.
鈥淚 believe that we need to be transparent, we need to be accountable, and I certainly hope that there will not be inconsistencies in my reports,鈥� Plett told CTV鈥檚 Power Play Wednesday evening.
鈥淚f there are they will certainly not be intentional. I have not wilfully used taxpayers鈥� dollars in a way that I shouldn鈥檛 have. I hope this will be done quickly, and I certainly have every confidence that the majority if not all of the senators will be found to have acted properly.鈥�
Liberal Sen. David Smith said that while his party supports the motion, it doesn鈥檛 address all of the issues raised in the scandal.
鈥淭he issue really is what was going on in the Prime Minister鈥檚 Office and that $90,000 and how it was paid,鈥� Smith told Power Play. 鈥淗ave we seen the cheque, have they seen the cheque, who was it to, was it in trust, was there a deal, was there an understanding? Those are the things that I think Canadians want to know because I think that鈥檚 what鈥檚 really at the centre of it.鈥�
Canada鈥檚 Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson is investigating the cheque that Prime Minister Stephen Harper鈥檚 former chief of staff Nigel Wright gave to help Sen. Mike Duffy repay ineligible expenses. Wright resigned last month, days after 麻豆影视 broke the story of the cheque. Stephen Harper has denied any knowledge of the arrangement until that story aired on May 14 and Wright confirmed the deal to him the next morning.
Both Mulcair and Trudeau used part of their time during Wednesday鈥檚 question period to ask why the cheque was written in the first place, when the Senate could have docked Duffy鈥檚 pay until the expenses were repaid. Harper has maintained that Wright wrote the cheque to ensure taxpayers were reimbursed for Duffy鈥檚 ineligible expenses.
鈥淭he prime minister says that his chief of staff thought, ethics rules and criminal law aside, that writing a big cheque was the best plan,鈥� Trudeau said. 鈥淚鈥檒l presume the PM wouldn鈥檛 buy that flimsy excuse any more than Canadians do. What real reason did Nigel Wright give for writing that $90,000 cheque?鈥�
鈥淢r. Wright has been clear why he did what he did and the effect of what he did,鈥� Harper replied. 鈥淗e has also accepted responsibility for that and he鈥檚 been very clear that he is prepared to be accountable and answer all questions from the ethics commissioner and all authorities, and he is doing that.鈥�
On Tuesday, the Senate Ethics Officer announced that she is suspending her review of the expense scandal after it was referred to the RCMP. The Mounties said Monday they are reviewing related documents and speaking to potential witnesses, but are still considering whether to open a criminal investigation.
In addition to Duffy, the Senate ordered two other senators subject to external audits -- Patrick Brazeau and Mac Harb -- to pay back housing expenses. Harb has indicted his intention to fight the order, while Brazeau has asked the Senate to reconsider its order after an audit found that he met some of the 鈥渋ndicators鈥� for his stated primary residence.
Auditors are also examining the travel expenses of Sen. Pamela Wallin, but that probe is ongoing.
Last month, CTV鈥檚 Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported that Wallin repaid $25,000 before the audit began, and has since returned another $15,000 to taxpayers. Sources say she will likely have to give more money back.
During question period on Wednesday, Mulcair asked if the prime minister has 鈥渂een briefed in any way shape or form concerning the preliminary results鈥� of Wallin鈥檚 audit.
The prime minister said, 鈥淚 am not aware of the results of the audit,鈥� noting that Wallin has stepped down from the Conservative caucus.
Mulcair asked if Wallin was offered a deal by Wright to repay her expenses.
Harper replied that when Wright informed him of his deal with Duffy, 鈥淚 did ask Mr. Wright if he had any similar arrangements or discussed any similar arrangements and had any similar arrangements with other senators, and he said no.鈥�
Ahead of both debates, Trudeau unveiled a four-point plan to make the expenses of his party鈥檚 MPs and senators more open.
The plan calls for parliamentarians to post quarterly reports of their travel and hospitality expenses online, as cabinet ministers currently do. He also wants meetings of the Board of Internal Economy to be open, public reports of MPs鈥� and senators鈥� office budgets, and regular audits of both the House and the Senate.
Trudeau told reporters Wednesday that Liberals would begin posting their expenses online in the fall, and said he hopes the other parties follow suit.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing now is truly opening up the expenses of Parliament,鈥� Trudeau said. 鈥淭axpayers have the right and an expectation now in the 21st century to know how their dollars are being spent by members and senators.鈥�
