Senator Vivienne Poy (resigned)
Appendix B—Files recommended for review by the Standing Senate Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration Senator Vivienne Poy (resigned)
Province: Ontario
Appointment date: 17 September 1998
Resignation date: 17 September 2012
For the period from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013
| Total amount of items referred to the Internal Economy Committee (including applicable taxes) |
$15,317 |
Findings—travel
We found instances of travel expenses claimed by the Senator that were not for parliamentary business.
1. From 14 to 16 July 2011, the Senator and her designated traveller travelled from their primary residence in Toronto to Vancouver, to attend an event for a charitable organization of which the Senator was a board member. The Senator stated that, as a board member, which was a voluntary position, she motivated Canadians to volunteer to help an initiative that helped to prevent blindness worldwide and was of great interest to Asian Canadians. Nevertheless, we determined that this trip was for personal activities rather than parliamentary business, as the trip was related to the Senator’s role as a board member. The cost for the trip, including airfare, taxis, and accommodations, was $13,402.
2. The Senator attended the opening of an art exhibit in Montréal in September 2012 and claimed expenses for her taxis and accommodations. However, the Senate’s rules, policies, and guidelines stated that expenses to attend art exhibits were ineligible. The amount of the trip was $354.
3. We also found other amounts related to travel totalling $964, claimed by the Senator, that were not allowed by Senate policy, were personal in nature, or for which we were unable to determine whether they were related to parliamentary business.
Findings—staff travel
We found an instance of travel expenses incurred by a staff member and approved by the Senator that were not for parliamentary business.
4. A member of the Senator’s staff attended the launch in Toronto for a book that the Senator co-edited. The staff member travelled round-trip from Ottawa to Toronto. We found that the Senate Administration had rejected a similar claim by the Senator for reimbursement of her expenses to attend the same book launch. The staff member incurred expenses for her train fare, one night’s accommodation, and per diems. On the basis of the information available, we determined that these expenses were for the Senator’s personal interests. The amount for the trip was $597.
The former Senator did not provide comments for publication
Information, representations, and submissions provided by the former Senator were considered throughout this audit and are reflected in our findings and conclusions. The former Senator did not confirm the facts in this report or provide a response in time to meet our publication deadline.