Archive for May, 2010

PRESS RELEASE: 

Date: May 19, 2010

From: Andrew Gill, St. Catharines Liberal MP Candidate 

Accountability – Taxpayers are in Agreement.

The recent news that Members of Parliament would not agree to Auditor General Sheila Fraser’s request to examine their expenses has created much discontent amongst Canadians. Taxpayers have had enough of not getting straight answers to simple questions, starting with … How are you spending my tax dollars? As a St. Catharines City Councillor, all of my expenses are detailed in a public report and I welcome the opportunity to share this information. Today, I am declaring that I will follow the lead of Scarborough Liberal MP Michelle Simson, who has been the only MP to post her expenses on her website, and do the same if elected a Member of Parliament.

The taxpayers have spoken, it’s time elected representatives start listening. There’s no reason an MP should be reluctant to report their public expenses and taxpayers should expect no less. 

There has been quite a fuss made over the last few days about MP’s not allowing the Auditor-General Sheila Fraser to investigate the parliamentary budgets of all elected Members of Parliament, as well as Senators, and to be quite frank I just don’t get it. As a City Councillor in St. Catharines for the last three and a half years any and all expenses I incur carrying out my office are subject to a public report, a report that I welcome. It has always been my belief that the public has a right to know how their money is being spent which is why I pledge to take a page out of Liberal MP Michelle Simpson’s book and post a detailed yearly breakdown of all expenses on my website if I am elected Member of Parliament for St. Catharines.