Senator Claude Carignan
Appendix B—Files recommended for review by the Standing Senate Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration Senator Claude Carignan
Province: Quebec
Appointment date: 27 August 2009
For the period from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013
| Total amount of items referred to the Internal Economy Committee (including applicable taxes) |
$3,516 |
| Amount repaid after 5 June 2013 and before 7 May 2015 | $3,516 |
Findings—staff travel
We found instances of travel expenses incurred by a staff member and approved by the Senator that were not for parliamentary business.
1. A member of the Senator’s staff filed claims for same-day round trips between Ottawa and the region represented by the Senator, to fill in for or accompany the Senator on parliamentary business. The employee claimed mileage and per diem expenses. The claims were signed by the employee and the Senator. Seven of the claims were filed in the 2011–12 fiscal year and eight in the 2012–13 fiscal year.
2. We found that the trips claimed had not involved travel starting from and returning to Ottawa, as stated by the employee. The employee worked in Ottawa but frequently stayed in Montréal, particularly when the Senate was not sitting. The activities covered by the travel claims took place during periods when the employee was staying in the Montréal area. The distance he had to travel to attend those events was therefore well below the mileage stated in the claims. According to the Senators’ Travel Policy, employees cannot be reimbursed for travel to their workplace in Ottawa.
3. To determine the extent of this practice, we reviewed claims for travel by the Senator’s staff during the fiscal year preceding the audit period and the fiscal year following it. We found 12 claims for similar instances in the 2010–11 fiscal year, but no claims in the 2013–14 fiscal year.
4. The employee confirmed that he had not travelled as stated in the claims. He amended claims for travel during the audit period and repaid amounts received for ineligible mileage and per diem claims. The total amount repaid was $3,516.
The Senator’s comments
[Translation]
- When the employee started work, he misunderstood how to interpret and apply the rule on travel expenses.
- The administrative error was not evident on the claim form.
- Once he was informed of the error, the employee immediately repaid the amount.