Ontario Hansard - 09-June2005

MINISTERS' EXPENSES

Ms. Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Victoria-Brock): Premier, yesterday you found out about the spending habits of your Minister of Economic Development and Trade. You found out that he's been spending riding association money on suits, meals and theatre tickets, not just here in Ontario, but in other countries where it's more difficult to claim he's doing political work on behalf of the Ontario Liberal Party. When you were leader of the official opposition, you called on a minister to resign from cabinet. In these circumstances, not asking the Minister of Economic Development and Trade to resign would demonstrate you have an ethical double standard: You have one rule for Liberals and a different rule for everyone else. Will you live up to the standard that you set when in opposition and ask for the minister's resignation?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty (Premier, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs): I think the important standard to which we must all adhere is to understand that it is wrong to funnel expenditures through a government agency in an attempt to hide them from public view and public scrutiny. In fact, that was found by the Integrity Commissioner to be in violation of the Members' Integrity Act. Again, I say with respect to Minister Cordiano's expenditures, whether of a governmental nature or of a party nature, they have been approved in both instances, respectively, by the Integrity Commissioner and an independent third party audit. He has been open, public and transparent. He has made the information available to those who review these matters, and that information has been approved.

Ms. Scott: Yesterday the Minister of Economic Development and Trade said in his own defence, "The Integrity Commissioner has gone thoroughly through my expenses on travel-related matters." But the Integrity Commissioner didn't audit the expenses submitted through the riding association.
The minister, when he was a member of the opposition, asked a question in the Legislature dealing with spending excesses. He asked, "Don't you think it's time to clean up your act and become more accountable to the public?"
Premier, isn't it time that you became more accountable to the public and stopped using the double standard? It's time for you to act with integrity and time for you to ask your minister to resign.

Hon. Mr. McGuinty: Again, I think Minister Cordiano has been exemplary in terms of his accountability. He has made his expenditures public. He has submitted them to the appropriate individuals, whether to the auditor of the riding association or the Integrity Commissioner.
Today, it's obvious that we have riding associations in the province of Ontario covering membership fees to the Albany Club, memberships to the Richmond Hill chamber of commerce, and honoraria paid to an individual. In another case, we have $9,000 for undisclosed expenses. The member opposite may be saying that she wants to second-guess the judgment of the Conservative riding association executives.
I have confidence that Minister Cordiano has submitted the appropriate expenditures and that he has been approved by the appropriate authorities.