Senator Donald Neil Plett

Province: Manitoba

Appointment date: 27 August 2009

Findings—travel

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

1. On 10 July 2011, the Senator flew from Calgary to Ottawa. He had been in Calgary for personal activities. The Senator stated that he returned to Ottawa to conduct Senate-related office work. Airfare from Calgary to Ottawa is more expensive than from his primary residence in Winnipeg. The incremental cost of the airfare was $715.

2. On 4 to 5 December 2011, the Senator and his spouse travelled from Landmark, Manitoba to Montréal, before travelling to Ottawa. The Senator stated that he had a meeting in Montréal, but he was unable to provide us with any information about the meeting. The Senate Administrative Rules state that every person who uses Senate resources is responsible to account for that use. We received no additional documentation or explanations for the purpose of this trip 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 of the trip to Montréal, including accommodations and taxi, was $222.

3. On 5 February 2012, the Senator travelled by air from Landmark to Montréal, and then to Ottawa by train later that afternoon. The Senator stated that he had dined with a Senate colleague in Montréal. The Senator’s calendar contained an entry for a professional hockey game early that afternoon. The Senate Administrative Rules state that every person who uses Senate resources is responsible to account for that use. We received no additional documentation or explanations for the purpose of this trip 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. As there was no incremental cost in airfare, and no cost for the train, the only incremental costs were for the per diem and taxis in Montréal, for a total of $183.

4. From 8 to 10 June 2012, the Senator travelled round-trip from Ottawa to Montréal. The Senator’s calendar indicated personal activities on 8 and 10 June. The Senator stated that this claim was made in error. The cost of the trip, including taxis and per diems, was $262.

5. From 14 to 16 December 2012, after the Senate had adjourned for the holidays, the Senator travelled from Ottawa to St. John’s, and then to Winnipeg. The Senator stated that he visited family in St. John’s instead of flying to see his family in Winnipeg. We determined that the purpose of this trip was for personal activities. The incremental cost of the trip, including airfare, hotel, and per diems, less the cost of airfare for the Senator travelling home to Winnipeg, was $2,713.

The Senator’s comments

ITEM 1

• On July 10, 2011, at the request of the Minister of Justice, I flew to Ottawa to meet with the Commissioner of Correctional Service Canada.
• Having a Minister of the Crown ask me to come to Ottawa clearly makes this official business as defined in the Senate Administrative Rules.
• I was in Calgary when the meeting was set up so I flew directly from there to Ottawa.
• Under the Senators’ Travel Guidelines (June 16, 2009 to June 4, 2012), there were in fact no rules restricting where I flew from to travel to the National Capital Region.
• Furthermore, due to the time constraints, I did not have time to fly back to Winnipeg and then go to Ottawa. Thus, there were no incremental costs as the full cost of travel was reimbursable under the Guidelines.

ITEM 2

• On December 4, 2011, I was in Montreal for Senate related business, for meetings with stakeholders.
• On December 5, 2011 I was in Ottawa where I worked in in my office and attended a National Security and Defence pre-meeting and committee meeting. Thus, there were no incremental costs and the full cost of travel was reimbursable under the Senators’ Travel Guidelines.

ITEM 3

• On February 5, 2012 I traveled from my residence to Ottawa.
• I stopped in Montreal on the way to meet with a Senate colleague to discuss Senate legislation. I also had some personal time.
• Section 2.4.5 of the Senators’ Travel Policy, enacted in June 2012, clearly states that Senators can combine Senate-related travel with personal travel.
• At the time of this trip, there was no rule prohibiting it, therefore, there were no incremental costs and the full cost of travel was reimbursable under the Senators’ Travel Guidelines.

ITEM 4

• This claim was made in error and the amount has been fully refunded.

ITEM 5

• I agree with your assessment of this expense claim. The original cost of the trip was $4,481.81. The full amount was claimed in error; only $1,768.81 should have been expensed to the Senate, so I have refunded the difference of $2,713.