WATCH: There’s news that at least 40 other current and retired senators are being intensely scrutinized about their expense claims. Jacques Bourbeau explains what the auditor general is looking for and why?
OTTAWA — The federal auditor general has asked dozens of current and former senators to account for some dubious expense claims, according to a media report.
The Senate invited Auditor General Michael Ferguson almost two years ago to audit senators’ expenses. The call came as the Senate was awash in controversy, after Senators Mac Harb, Patrick Brazeau and Mike Duffy had their living and housing allowances subject to an independent audit.
Following the audits, the Senate ordered the trio to repay tens of thousands of dollars in what were deemed wrongly collected allowances.
READ MORE: Some senators not fully cooperating with auditor general
Now, Ferguson’s office has sent letters to at least 40 current and former senators asking for explanations for certain claims, with one being asked to account for more than $100,000 according to a CTV report citing anonymous sources.
The report noted some of those senators, though not necessarily the one with the $100,000 question mark, have quietly repaid the money.
Although this isn’t the first time Ferguson’s office has looked into the Senate, this is certainly the most detailed look at the spending and expense habits of the men and women who filled the seats of the red chamber since 2001.
The auditor general’s office tabled an audit of the Senate’s administration in June 2012, which offered a glimpse into the problems plaguing the upper chamber.
READ MORE: Timeline of the key dates in the evolution of the Senate expense-claim controversy
In that report, he found there was insufficient documentation surrounding senators’ housing allowance, travel and living claims.
This time around, the audit is much more involved and detailed, looking at individual senators and the claims of individual senators.
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