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The working lunch Territorial politicians spend thousands on meals prompting call for tighter rules
Andrew Raven
There, he and four guests dined on trout, escargots and chicken alfredo, according to records recently released by the territorial government.
Menicoche put the $200 bill on his government credit card, calling it a dinner with constituents. His Nahendeh riding is about 400 kilometres southwest of the trendy Yellowknife restaurant. The meal was part of more than $3,177 in food bills the newest member of cabinet charged to the public purse during the 2005-2006 fiscal year. The eateries ran the gamut from an Ottawa steakhouse to a restaurant in Nagoya, Japan. And while Menicoche said the meals helped him address important constituency issues, he did not have meeting notes or agendas from any of the encounters. "An expectation of an MLA is to pick up a meal now and then," said Menicoche. (He paid for around 20 of them in 2005-2006, including a half-dozen for travelling sports teams from his riding that totalled over $200 apiece.) "Every time I go to a restaurant, they say 'Here's my bill'." Menicoche is not the only territorial politician to spend money on meals, however. Leaders doled out tens of thousands of dollars on lunches and dinners in 2005-2006, according to documents News/North obtained from the legislative assembly. Those papers outline what critics have called libertine spending by leaders. The tallies include hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars for golf balls, post-it notes, pens and Christmas cards. Territorial government bureaucrats take a relatively hands-off approach when it comes to overseeing MLA spending. Each member has between $78,950 and $99,250 to fork out annually on so-called constituency work. The money goes towards everything from flights, to office supplies to secretaries. Leaders are not normally required to provide detailed reasons for their spending said legislative assembly clerk Tim Mercer. Instead, MLAs must decide for themselves how best to serve their constituents, he said. The rules have social advocates wondering whether a double standard exists for leaders and other groups vying for government cash, including non-profit organizations. "There are so many hoops to jump through for small amounts of money," said Yellowknife city councillor Lydia Bardak, who also heads the John Howard Society, a non-profit legal aid group, and is a member of the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition. "Accountability for us is critical." She said MLAs should be held to a similar standard. The executive director of Yellowknife's YWCA, Lyda Fuller, said it's "frustrating" to hear that leaders spend thousands on trips and dinners and trinkets while non-profits struggle for cash. "The service delivery sector is so hand-to-mouth," Fuller said. "I understand (MLAs) need to do certain things like send Christmas cards to people. But I wouldn't want that to be a huge amount of money." Menicoche, who was named transport minister during a cabinet shuffle earlier this month, said dinners and trips help him "engage in a dialogue" with constituents and are good value for taxpayers. "Typically, the agenda items reflect the ongoing political development of Nahendeh," he said. Menicoche, though, does not have any notes from the dinner at Yellowknife's Old Town Landing or pricey meals in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Regina and Japan. He declined to say who was at the Yellowknife dinner for confidentiality reasons. During most of those "informal" meetings, Menicoche said it would have been off-putting to pull out a notepad. "Constituents appreciate that." Adam Taylor, research director for the Canadian Taxpayer's Federation, a group that tracks the spending habits of politicians and bureaucrats, said the federation believes there needs to be stricter guidelines governing travel, working dinners and other MLA expense claims. Taylor said he believes politicians who waste money or have lax spending guidelines are playing with fire. "People should not underestimate the volatility of the electorate." Premier Joe Handley said last month there were no immediate plans to revisit spending rules. But cabinet members could review the guidelines if there is enough public demand, he said.
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