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Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Wasting taxpayers money on all fronts

Tory leadership hopeful Andrew Scheer top spender among candidates to lead party: Database

OTTAWA — Andrew Scheer led the way among Conservative leadership candidates when it came to spending the most to run his MP office in the first half of the year.
Scheer, a Saskatchewan MP and former Speaker of the House of Commons, spent nearly $263,000 on travel for himself and his family, salaries for employees, accommodation and per diems while in Ottawa, office leases in his riding, and other expenses.
The average for all MPs from Saskatchewan was $221,860 and the average for Conservative MPs was $218,775. Scheer’s spending was 12th highest among all 338 MPs, according to an analysis of a database of MP spending in the first half of 2016.
The database was built by the National Post based on information published by the Board of Internal Economy, the committee of MPs that is responsible for the administration of the House of Commons.
Scheer was travelling Friday and could not reached for comment.
For all of the reporting period, though, he would have been his party’s House Leader, a position which would have required him to be in Ottawa more often than most other MPs.
While in Ottawa, MPs can claim ‘travel expenses’ and Scheer led all nine declared and potential leadership candidates that are current members of the Conservative caucus when it came to per diem claims. Scheer’s claim of $6,931.58 for per diems from January 1 to June 30 was 18th highest among all 388 MPs.
Scheer, 37, has five children and he was the only one of the nine declared and potential candidates to file expenses for “Travel-Dependants.” The bill for his children’s travel was $7,396.88, sixth highest among all 338 MPs in this expense category.
Scheer also claimed $3,581.31 for his “designated traveller”, who, in this case, was his wife Jill. That was 3rd highest among the nine candidates in caucus and 83rd highest among all MPs.
But Scheer was second to another Saskatchewan MP running to replace Stephen Harper, Brad Trost, for expenses related to “designated traveller.” Trost claimed $12,197.66 in the first six months of the year, 14th highest among all 338 MPs.

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