Media and Opposition parties have had a field day over the expense controversies afflicting some members of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet and caucus and the catering bills racked up by Prime Minister Mark Carney and his staff on Canada’s official plane while flying to foreign capitals for trade talks.
It all reminds this writer of some sage advice, offered many years ago by a well-scarred political veteran.
When it comes to expenses and conflict of interest issues, he said there are only three basic rules you need to remember:
First, if you can’t eat it, drink it or smoke it in one session, then it’s a bribe. Secondly, what will this look like on the front page of the Toronto Star tomorrow? (or the Globe and Mail, National Post and the Toronto Sun!)
And finally, when you start telling yourself that you work hard for your constituents and you deserve this expensive dinner or the night in the fancy hotel room, it is time to consider changing jobs.
Politics is not always fair. You may well work long and hard on behalf of your riding and the rules may well allow certain expenses. But that doesn’t mean you should always incur the expense. At least, not if you wish to avoid a controversy down the road. Again, it may not be fair, but it is the reality of the political game.
For example, political veterans well remember the expense “scandal” surrounding a federal cabinet minister on legitimate government business who expensed a $16 dollar glass of orange juice for breakfast at an expensive hotel. The fact that the orange juice served as the entire breakfast did not seem to matter, nor that there was little choice in hotel accommodation.
But veterans will also remember another minister, called on the carpet for expense accounts who famously said he was “entitled to his entitlements.”
For our elected officials, consider your circumstances. It may well be a “legitimate” expense but should you do it? What will it look like to your voters back home when the information becomes public – and it always becomes public, sooner or later.
A hotel stay for a late night sitting of the Legislature makes a lot of sense if your riding is in Thunder Bay. But it becomes more problematic if your constituents make a daily commute to work in the city, late night or not.
But if politicians need to be careful, so too must the media and Opposition politicians who all love to jump on stories like this, sometimes all out of proportion.
For the Opposition, remember that you too may end up on the government benches some day facing such scrutiny.
And yes, for reporters, it is an easy story to write, “politician misuses expense account.” But judgement is needed here too. The job of an elected official does incur expenses that are totally legitimate and that are commonly covered by employers in the private sector.
Unfortunately, every time these incidents happen, it just increases public cynicism in both politicians and the system.
Premier Doug Ford has, quite rightly and promptly, ordered caucus members to pay back inappropriate expenses to the taxpayers. And he has also apologized to the public.
But more needs to be done. There are checks and balances already in place – for example, the Integrity Commissioner can investigate, and the Elections Finances Act spells out what is allowable – but it is clearly not sufficient.
Current expense and approval policies need a thorough review to ensure that what is and is not allowed, is spelled out clearly.
The review should also ensure that riding associations have appropriate approval processes in place as well, to ensure that they are not used as piggy banks for questionable spending as appears to have happened in some circumstances.
Most riding money comes from political donations with the rest supplied by public subsidies, based on the support each party received in the last election. And as the current controversy demonstrates, donors are just as likely to withhold their money if they think their financial gifts are being abused.
But at the end of the day, you only really need three rules, as articulated above.
Janet Ecker is a former Ontario Finance Minister, Minister of Education, Minister of Community and Social Services and Government House Leader in the governments of Premier Mike Harris and Premier Ernie Eves. After her political career, she served as the founding CEO of the Toronto Financial Services Alliance, a public-private partnership dedicated to building Toronto region into an international financial centre. She currently sits on a number of corporate and non-profit boards, agencies and advisory committees.
Ms. Ecker received the Order of Canada for her public service contributions and was recognized as one of the “Most Influential People in the World’s Financial Centres” by Financial Centres International. She also received a “Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award” from the Women’s Executive Network and the Richard Ivey School of Business, among other awards. She is also one of the founders of Equal Voice, a national, multi-partisan organization working to elect more women.
