Senator Elaine McCoy

Province: Alberta

Appointment date: 24 March 2005

Findings—travel

We found several instances of travel expenses claimed by the Senator that were not for parliamentary business.

1. From 4 to 9 May 2011, the Senator travelled from her primary residence in Calgary to Edmonton. While the Senator attended several meetings related to her Senate duties during the week, there was no evidence of parliamentary business for the two weekend days of the trip. The Senate Administrative Rules state that every person who uses Senate resources is responsible to account for that use. We received no additional documentation for the expenses incurred on the two weekend days or the events that took place during that time. On the basis of the information available, we determined that these expenses had not been incurred for parliamentary business. The incremental cost, including accommodations, car rental, and per diems for the Senator, was $438.

2. On 23 May 2011, the Senator again travelled from Calgary to Edmonton, and stopped in Toronto en route to Ottawa.

• We found that the only event for parliamentary business that took place in Edmonton was a conference call. While the Senator stated that it was probable that other meetings had been arranged and subsequently cancelled, there was no evidence to show that the trip was taken for parliamentary business. On the basis of available information, we determined that the principal reason for stopping in Edmonton was for personal activities. The incremental cost for the flight, accommodations, per diems, and taxis was $997.
• For the Toronto portion of the trip, we again found that there was only one day of meetings for parliamentary business, and that the other days did not contain any parliamentary business. The incremental cost of this portion of the trip, including accommodations, per diems, and taxis, was $659.

3. On 21 March 2013, the Senator travelled from Ottawa to Calgary to attend a board meeting of an Alberta-based environmental not-for-profit organization, for which she received fees for participation as a board member. This trip took place at the end of the week’s Senate sitting, and the Senator returned to Ottawa the next day. We determined that this trip was incurred to pursue the private business interests of the Senator. The cost of the trip was $5,155.

Findings—staff travel

We found an instance of travel expenses incurred by staff members and approved by the Senator that were not for parliamentary business.

4. On 12 December 2011, the Senator requested permission from the Internal Economy Committee to allow her to claim hospitality costs to host a Christmas open house at her home in Calgary on 18 December 2011. A member of the Senator’s staff travelled from Ottawa to Calgary on 16 December, and the Senator stated that the staff member attended the event to assist the Senator with networking. The Senator also stated that she received notification on 19 December 2011 from the chair of the Internal Economy Committee that her request was not approved. Given that the Committee has the exclusive authority to determine whether any previous, current, or proposed use of funds is proper, and it did not approve the Senator’s request for this event, we determined that the staff member’s travel was not for parliamentary business. The cost of the travel claims, including airfare, taxis, accommodations, and per diems, was $2,089.

Findings—other

We found that the Senator and her staff claimed expenses for the use of taxis for travel between their residences and the Senator’s office, which is not allowed by Senate policy.

5. According to the Senate’s policies and guidelines, it is the responsibility of Senators and their staff to provide their own transportation to or from their residences in the National Capital Region. We found that the Senator and her staff used taxis for travel between their residences and the Senator’s office, which is not allowed by Senate policy. This taxi use totalled $960 over the audit period.

The Senator’s comments

Thank you for providing me with your findings and conclusions. I, along with my staff, would like to thank the members of your audit team assigned to my files: [they] were good people to work with and I thank them for their time and talent. It was clear they took pride in their work and we appreciated it.

That being said, while I do not doubt the accuracy of the dates and figures you report, I disagree with many of your conclusions and findings, and the basis on which, as described to me, you arrived at them.

Nevertheless, I have no doubt that your findings will assist with the Senate’s ongoing efforts to modernize, enhance and improve our processes. I am a great believer in the Senate of Canada and its good works. I fully support the broad principle of transparency within this institution, just as I have always supported transparency throughout my long career. In the interest of moving forward, we will of course accept whatever Internal Economy decides when the matter is referred back to it.