The Canadian Senate has been working to improve transparency since the expense scandal, and has started releasing quarterly reports outlining senators’ spending.
The expenditures report is divided into five sections: office expenses (excluding salary), hospitality expenses, living expenses in the Ottawa region, travel, and contracts. Detailed information is available for some, but not all of the claimed expenses.
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The first report summarizes expenses from July 1 — Sept. 30. Expenses range from small gifts to $54 for alcohol, to $660 for an annual New York Times subscription.
Here are some of the expenses taxpayers are on the hook for.
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Artwork
The cost to rent and install artwork isn’t cheap, as a number of senators’ expense details show.
$6,205 — Independent Sen. Andre Pratt, Quebec, artwork rental and installation.
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$6,060 — Independent Sen. Chantal Petitclerc, Quebec, artwork rental and installation.
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$2,100 — Independent Sen. Ratna Omidvar, Ontario, artwork rental.
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Hospitality expenses
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Three senators expensed more than $1,000 in the time period for hospitality, while many — including newly returned Sen. Mike Duffy — claimed none at all.
$1,564.14 — Tory Sen. Yonah Martin just might be the hostess with the mostest, coming in on top for spending on hospitality. The expenses include more than $150 at the Parliament Hill boutique on three gifts, and the rest on catering for five community events and a business meeting.
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$1,339.55 — Tory Sen. Dennis Glen Patterson, Nunavut, expensed costs for 12 business meetings and other events.
$1,056.71 — Tory Sen. Tobias C. Enverga Jr., Ontario, expensed more than a grand for a community event for 268 guests.
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Office Expenses
Office expenses include things such as service contracts, furniture and office supplies.
$11,580.82 — Sen. Yonah Martin, who has been a senator since 2009, also claimed the most for office expenses. A good chunk of that change, $4,080, was for artwork rental.
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$9,947.38 — Tory Sen. Dennis Glen Patterson, Nunavut, no information for expenses available.
$8,244.97 — Tory Sen. Nany Green-Raine, B.C., no information for expenses available.
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Travel expenses
Travel expenses include transportation, meal allowances and accommodation.
$23,229.39 — Tory Sen. David M. Wells, Newfoundland and Labrador, expensed the most for travel of all the senators. Wells resides in St. John’s. The breakdown of his costs include $11,892 for his own travel, $7,810 for “designated traveller” and $3,525 for “dependant(s).”
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$20,306.38 — Independent Sen. Nick G. Sibbeston, Northwest Territories, came second for most travel expenses.
$18,464.31 — Tory Sen. Thanh Hai Ngo, Ontario, came third for travel expenses.
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