"Like I said before, Canada needs a REAL opposition leader.
Another mud in the face day for Tories"
An independent audit has found that the expenses of David Dingwall fall within Royal Canadian Mint guidelines, backing the former crown corporation president's claim that there was nothing wrong with his spending during his tenure.
Last month, Dingwall resigned from his post as mint president after an Access to Information request revealed he and his aides racked up a considerable expense account in 2004.
Documents obtained under the Access to Information Act by Conservative MP Brian Pallister indicated that hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on foreign and domestic travel, meals and hospitality -- including membership to a golf club and even $1.29 for a pack of chewing gum -- were billed to his office in 2004.
The audit, requested by Dingwall on Sept. 28, reviewed nearly $1.8 million spent over three years, most of which went towards the salaries of Dingwall and his staff and for administration.
Independent auditor PricewaterhouseCooper found that most of Dingwall's expenses were legitimate, with the exception of about $2,500.
In an interview with CTV's Mike Duffy on Wednesday, Dingwall said he was pleased with the outcome.
"Now that the Pricewaterhouse review has come back, we're relieved that it's exonerated me," he said, noting the audit found 99.64 per cent of his expenses, "to be appropriate, documented and for business use."
As for his name being dragged through the mud in recent weeks, Dingwall said those allegations -- including spending $5,800 on a dinner and $15,000 on a golf membership -- have now been proven groundless.
The audit did find that Dingwall had indeed submitted a receipt for a bottle of water and the now-notorious packet of gum in January 2005. The expense, however, was covered under his regular $20 per diem for incidentals.
As for the 0.36 per cent of expenses which PricewaterhouseCoopers deemed were not legitimate, Dingwall has said he intends to repay the outstanding sum "immediately".
The audit also found another $4,200 must be repaid due to clerical payroll errors.
Dingwall may sue
A separate audit into the process of reviewing the mint president's expenses found that crown corporation "goes well beyond what one could expect to find in most private sector corporations.''
According to the review by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP -- a firm specializing in corporate law -- the mint has a stricter process for monitoring the spending of its chief executives than most private sector corporations.
"We adhered to those good corporate governance practices," Dingwall told CTV, "So, in a second sense I'm relieved at that as well."
As for the Opposition MPs who have led the political charge against him, Dingwall said he will decide how best to respond "in due course." When asked whether he's considering suing, Dingwall wouldn't be pinned down.
"I'll review that with counsel in due course," he said. "But nothing is ruled out and nothing is ruled in."
In his reaction to the audit results, Pallister said the mint's travel and hospitality guidelines didn't apply to Dingwall.
"It was not possible for him to be offside under this audit. There were no lines on the ice for David Dingwall."
At a press conference in Ottawa, Pallister said that the "trick or treat audit" was flawed from the get go, as Dingwall was operating under rules he'd established himself.
Pallister called the audit an attempt by the Liberals to "trick Canadians in order that the Liberal government can treat David Dingwall to severance."
The government has yet to provide the public with the terms of reference that they provided the auditors, said Pallister. "But I fully expect that when you get them, you will find that these auditors were told to give the government back what the government wanted: an exoneration of David Dingwall."
During question period in the House of Commons later Wednesday afternoon, National Revenue Minister John McCallum seized the opportunity to turn the tables on Pallister.
Accusing the Conservative MP of being "bogged down in misinformation," McCallum said not only had the government disclosed all the information requested -- and more -- but Pallister hadn't even bothered to read it.
"In his recent press conference he said he had 'not gone over the report in great detail' -- Which must be code for the fact that he hasn't read it beyond the introduction," McCallum quipped.
"So not only does the member opposite make accusations without he information, but even when he has the information he doesn't read it and he continues to make those accusations."
Debate over severance continues
Dingwall's resignation also sparked fierce debate over whether he was entitled to receive a severance package.
Revenue Minister John McCallum had promised that if the audit cited any improper expenses, they would be deducted from the eventual severance package.
Dingwall said his lawyers are still determining the "proper and appropriate" severance to which he may be entitled.
Dingwall also faces separate allegations that he failed to register as a lobbyist for a Toronto pharmaceutical company before joining the mint.
He said he doubted the opposition will drop the matter.
"It's been a very difficult and painful process for myself and my family. I think it's politically motivated and I think it's not good for Parliament and it's not good for the (political) process,'' he said.
The Conservatives are hardly expressing sympathy for Dingwall. Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said Wednesday that the audit's findings are no surprise, given that Dingwall himself wrote the guidelines.
"I don't think the public is going to say that these expenses, in their eyes, are legitimate. Mr. Dingwall ... went out there and used no political judgment in his exercise in the use of public money, and I think that's what the public is angry about."
McCallum said Wednesday that "the facts speak for themselves"; some MPs, he said, "rushed to judgment without knowing the facts."
He added: "With these two reports today, as well as the previous report from the Auditor General, we now know the facts." |
