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Post by Cranky on May 29, 2013 13:31:34 GMT -5
How would Harper know what Duffy was declaring? Do I know or should I know what my employees are claiming on their tax return? Nobody in his right mind would accuse me if one of my employees went stupid, even if I see every day and yet, someone who is a million times busier should know every bowel movement of everyone around him, even someone who he may or may not see once a month. Harper the Omnipotent.  I'm not talking about what Duffy declared, or didn't. That's not the PM's office. I'm talking about cutting a cheque to pay off what Duffy owed. If Harper isn't aware of his office cutting 90k cheques, he should be fired on the spot. LOL! franko beat me to it. It's not "his office" cutting cheques, it's one of his many employees. Let me know what is illegal about contractually binding personal loans to begin with. I've done it so I want to know. |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 29, 2013 16:47:12 GMT -5
You federal guys lol. Can't do that here. It used to be the hotels direct bill the province, we bring back the invoice and it's submitted with our expense claim - which can take a month to get reimbursement for. Now, the province, in all their infinite wisdom, want people to pay out of pocket for hotel stays (which in some cases is a week long event), then wait a month to get the money back. So, I'm supposed to pay $1000 plus meals out of pocket and wait? Government isn't lining up to pay the interest on my CC I tell you that. Essentially, government employees have now become lumped in with the sub contractors on the procurement list. I'm not sure how it works now. I've been out of submitting military claims for 11 years now. But, that's the way they'd do it. The biggest payout for a claim was mileage. There were two rates, low and high. If I opted to drive from Kingston to Gagetown in my own vehicle, they'd calculate the distance there and back, add a list of hotels I was authorized to stay in and three sqaures a day. Breakfast was something like $11, Lunch $-around-the-same and supper was somewhere around $35 bucks. It's more now. Hotels would be at the government discounted rate. Here's the current federal mileage rates: a. High mileage, 54 cents/km up to the first 5,000 kms, and b. Low mileage, 47 cents/km after that. So, Kingston to Gagetown is 1153 kms one way. That's 2306 kms return. Thats .54 x 2306 = $1,245.24 for gas alone. If I take the train, or a bus, I'm still entitled to rental vehicle on the other side. Then there's daily incidentals. So, imagine the cost to the taxpayer every time the federal government tasks, or posts one of their own to another part of the country. Extremely good moving rates as well. The further away, the better (financially) for the member. The lawyer's expenses were always a given. However, nowadays there are more perks than what I've cited above ... and the government has been getting a grip on it ever since they announced we'd coming out of Afghanistan. Cheers. |
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Post by Skilly on May 29, 2013 17:42:55 GMT -5
I think this might be the tip of the iceberg. I can't say for sure, but f the RCMP finds grounds for a criminal investigation then we'll probably see a history of Senate spending surface. If this happens it's entirely possible they'll be able to establish a years-old pattern to that spending, and that Wallin and Duffy only had the bad luck to get caught. That's the worst-case scenario. Getting back to the RCMP, their investigation may also ascertain accountability: I agree with HA insomuch as, it's possible the PM didn't know. Yet, if it shows that he didn't have strong communication with his COS, then that could become an issue too. As an aside, during my military days I used to submit claims all the time. The pay clerk would usually give me 80% of my entitlement up front and I'd collect the remaining 20% when I finalized my claim. If I had overspent (hotel too posh, eating too extravigently) I'd owe the crown money. However, the clerk I was talking to told me about the expense claims of high-ranking officers he was ordered to process. These officers are made to follow the same rules we did (as non-commissioned ranks) but the claim he submitted included $100 bottles of wine and meals well in excess of what they were entitled to. That was back in the 90's and I suspect claims like this are still quietly authorized. There was another case of a naval LComd (major) who was working in Ottawa but had his home and family back in Halifax. The rules stated that he could live on "imposed restriction" (IR) for a year. One of the purposes of IR, is to provide the members with enough time to find suitable accommodations to eventually move their families. That one-year IR could be extended under special circumstances, so the LComd extended it for another four years (at that time this was not do-able for non-comms). That equated to about $1,800/month of taxpayers' dollars over five years. It covered the hotel he stayed in, as well as meals. However, what he failed to claim was that his wife left him during the second year; therefore, he was submitting expense claims as if he were still married for those remaining four years. He was caught and I can't remember what disciplinary action was taken, but at the very least he was ordered to pay back four years of fraudulant claims. The point? It's not just the Senate that needs to be audited, but anywhere where taxpayer dollars are used for funding someone's expenses. Cheers. You federal guys lol. Can't do that here. It used to be the hotels direct bill the province, we bring back the invoice and it's submitted with our expense claim - which can take a month to get reimbursement for. Now, the province, in all their infinite wisdom, want people to pay out of pocket for hotel stays (which in some cases is a week long event), then wait a month to get the money back. So, I'm supposed to pay $1000 plus meals out of pocket and wait? Government isn't lining up to pay the interest on my CC I tell you that. Essentially, government employees have now become lumped in with the sub contractors on the procurement list. Same thing happens here. There was a guy here that got hit with interest on his credit card because the claim wasn't processed before he had to pay off his credit card. He paid everything on his card but his government related expenses. When he got his next statement with the interest, he filled out another claim for the interest, the stamp to mail, and his gas to drive and mail it .... We all had a good laugh, but he got his point across and his claims weren't delayed anymore. |
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Post by Skilly on May 29, 2013 17:45:10 GMT -5
At the very least he has to know what his COS is doing. Still, it's entirely possible that the COS simply didn't inform the PM so as not to include him in the decision. Sigh ... the RCMP is involved now, too ... I'm hoping their investigation doesn't stop with Duffy and Wallin. Cheers. What we do know.....Duffy was going for a bank loan. Wright who is well off thought that personally lending him the money to shorten the process, with a contract to repay, would take it off the front page. Nothing illegal. From news reports, the loan was made with stipulation that Duffy was suppose to report it. Of course, instead of taking it off the main page, CTV and media screaming "secret loan" and now looks like pay off. Bad optics in what was neither here or there of a personal loan to what now appears like a lying fool......and Wright loses his job. I'm okay with Wright losing his job even though he didn't have evil intent. He should of thought out the optics of this and the fact that media can now spin and claim everything without the need for proof. (Welcome to the new world of histrionic Enquirer media power courtesy of our Supreme Court) Duffy is persona non grata in conservatives circle now. Was Duffy going for a bank loan? Or is that what he claimed? Because he said he paid off the debt on his own by getting a bank loan the day AFTER he received the money from Wright. |
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Post by Cranky on May 29, 2013 19:56:47 GMT -5
Was Duffy going for a bank loan? Or is that what he claimed? Because he said he paid off the debt on his own by getting a bank loan the day AFTER he received the money from Wright. On the CTV report, he was carrying some files and they mentioned a bank by name. It appeared that he was either going in or coming out of a bank. I'm not sure if there is a difference between getting a bank loan to pay off a personal loan or getting a personal loan, or not qualifying and needing a personal loan. There are no legal issues within any of that combination. Regardless, at this point, Duffy is persona non-grata. He got a gift position and he horse-pucked all over it. |
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Post by Cranky on May 29, 2013 20:12:36 GMT -5
You federal guys lol. Can't do that here. It used to be the hotels direct bill the province, we bring back the invoice and it's submitted with our expense claim - which can take a month to get reimbursement for. Now, the province, in all their infinite wisdom, want people to pay out of pocket for hotel stays (which in some cases is a week long event), then wait a month to get the money back. So, I'm supposed to pay $1000 plus meals out of pocket and wait? Government isn't lining up to pay the interest on my CC I tell you that. Essentially, government employees have now become lumped in with the sub contractors on the procurement list. I'm not sure how it works now. I've been out of submitting military claims for 11 years now. But, that's the way they'd do it. The biggest payout for a claim was mileage. There were two rates, low and high. If I opted to drive from Kingston to Gagetown in my own vehicle, they'd calculate the distance there and back, add a list of hotels I was authorized to stay in and three sqaures a day. Breakfast was something like $11, Lunch $-around-the-same and supper was somewhere around $35 bucks. It's more now. Hotels would be at the government discounted rate. Here's the current federal mileage rates: a. High mileage, 54 cents/km up to the first 5,000 kms, and b. Low mileage, 47 cents/km after that. So, Kingston to Gagetown is 1153 kms one way. That's 2306 kms return. Thats .54 x 2306 = $1,245.24 for gas alone. If I take the train, or a bus, I'm still entitled to rental vehicle on the other side. Then there's daily incidentals. So, imagine the cost to the taxpayer every time the federal government tasks, or posts one of their own to another part of the country. Extremely good moving rates as well. The further away, the better (financially) for the member. The lawyer's expenses were always a given. However, nowadays there are more perks than what I've cited above ... and the government has been getting a grip on it ever since they announced we'd coming out of Afghanistan. Cheers. In business, you can claim mileage or a company car. Or in my case, I have both. When I started my company, I didn't have enough money to buy a van so I took out the seats from my VW Jetta and used it to transport my product. Without passenger and back seat, one can put an amazing amount of product in it. Anywho....two years later, I get audited. Everything was fine but the auditor challenged $5,000 for the Jetta truck.,..err car deliveries. He told me in his vast knowledge that it was impossible to do it. So he contacted my customer and he confirmed it. He still had a problem with it. At that point, I was getting frustrated, it was dragging into ti's fifth month and I had over twenty first hand witnesses in 5 companies that saw me do it for two years. He backed away......and I haven't seen an auditor for 22 years. |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 29, 2013 20:43:02 GMT -5
I'm not sure how it works now. I've been out of submitting military claims for 11 years now. But, that's the way they'd do it. The biggest payout for a claim was mileage. There were two rates, low and high. If I opted to drive from Kingston to Gagetown in my own vehicle, they'd calculate the distance there and back, add a list of hotels I was authorized to stay in and three sqaures a day. Breakfast was something like $11, Lunch $-around-the-same and supper was somewhere around $35 bucks. It's more now. Hotels would be at the government discounted rate. Here's the current federal mileage rates: a. High mileage, 54 cents/km up to the first 5,000 kms, and b. Low mileage, 47 cents/km after that. So, Kingston to Gagetown is 1153 kms one way. That's 2306 kms return. Thats .54 x 2306 = $1,245.24 for gas alone. If I take the train, or a bus, I'm still entitled to rental vehicle on the other side. Then there's daily incidentals. So, imagine the cost to the taxpayer every time the federal government tasks, or posts one of their own to another part of the country. Extremely good moving rates as well. The further away, the better (financially) for the member. The lawyer's expenses were always a given. However, nowadays there are more perks than what I've cited above ... and the government has been getting a grip on it ever since they announced we'd coming out of Afghanistan. Cheers. In business, you can claim mileage or a company car. Or in my case, I have both. When I started my company, I didn't have enough money to buy a van so I took out the seats from my VW Jetta and used it to transport my product. Without passenger and back seat, one can put an amazing amount of product in it. Anywho....two years later, I get audited. Everything was fine but the auditor challenged $5,000 for the Jetta truck.,..err car deliveries. He told me in his vast knowledge that it was impossible to do it. So he contacted my customer and he confirmed it. He still had a problem with it. At that point, I was getting frustrated, it was dragging into ti's fifth month and I had over twenty first hand witnesses over 5 companies, that saw me do it for two years. He backed away and I haven't seen an auditor for 22 years. Right on ... sounds like your auditor might have gained some more experience ;D Business expenses are what they are. I have several friends who own small, reasonably-successful businesses. They pretty much claim what they can from the government. Don't blame them a bit when I hear how much overhead they have and the taxes they have to pay. Cheers. |
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Post by Skilly on May 31, 2013 7:35:04 GMT -5
And now the media has acquired emails from Duffy requesting more compensation from the Conservatives for his fundraising and campaigning.
Duffy requested to have an expanded role in the party and went so far as to request being a Cabinet Minister without portfolio. Then he asks "What do I demand?" They are also suggesting he was double dipping by getting paid for engagements from the Conservative Fund and also charging the same expense to the Senate.
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Six months after he was appointed to the Senate, Mike Duffy was in consultations with Conservatives about an expanded role in the party and increased compensation, including his own suggestion he be named a minister without portfolio to get a car and staff, according to an email exchange obtained by CBC News.
The email, with the subject line "Duff" and dated July 2009, appears to be sent from Duffy's private email account to an unidentified Conservative Party insider.
In a reply, the party insider advises Duffy to keep any expenses for additional staff or resources with the party, and out of his office budget, "or it will hurt you down the road."
The email asks for advice about how Duffy should be compensated for what the email calls "my expanded role in the party." In the message, Duffy says he'll be speaking with Conservative Senator Irving Gerstein at a Senate golf banquet, but seems to indicate he'd already spoken with Gerstein.
The email goes on, "I suggested they make me a min without portfolio, so I get a staff, car and more resources to deal with the pr fallout etc. he laughed and said he didn't think THAT was within the realm of the Cons fund."
Conservative Fund Canada is the party's war chest, funded by supporters' donations, and is chaired by Gerstein. Gerstein, a former president of Peoples Jewellers and chair of the Senate banking committee, was appointed to the Senate on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the same time as Duffy, in January 2009.
So, continues the email, "What do I demand?" Then, in a bracketed sentence, he seems to answer his own question: "(That the Cons fund hire my private company, and I use the cash to hire additional staff to assist with these gigs?)"
Finally, the email asks whether he should have a separate meeting with "Marjory," in apparent reference to the government Senate leader Marjory LeBreton. He adds, "Should I request a one on one with Stephen? To what end?" He signs off, "Mike, at home."
Advised to be cautious with travel
Five hours later, he receives a reply, advising him to "keep the discussion with Irving." Any money, staff or resources should come from the "fund," the adviser says, seemingly nixing the idea of asking for a cabinet position.
The reply continues that it's important for Duffy to have the fund pay for his travel. "So you don't get into trouble or run out of points."
"Points" likely refers to the 64-point system used by the Senate to fund senators' travel. Each point is usually worth a return flight.
The reply concludes, "Don't take a credit card, just expense to them," meaning Duffy shouldn't use his own credit card, or his Senate-issued American Express corporate credit card. His Senate credit card was used to track his whereabouts by the accounting firm Deloitte when it conducted its audit this year on his expense claims.
Duffy, using his celebrity as a former popular TV host, carried out extensive fundraising and election campaign events for the Conservative Party, appearing with candidates across the country. During the last general election, he acted as master of ceremonies at an event featuring the prime minister.
On Tuesday, a Senate committee voted to refer the matter of Duffy's expense claims to the RCMP. Reports indicate that Duffy at times claimed Senate expenses while he was appearing at election campaign events.
"I don't golf and don't have a record of any banquet."
CBC News attempted to contact Gerstein on Thursday afternoon and was told he was not in his Senate office. A request was made for an interview.
A spokesman for the Conservative Party, Fred DeLorey, when asked about the Duffy email and whether the party compensated him, replied, "Any events Mr. Duffy participated in on behalf of the party would have been paid for by the party. The party does not pay Mr. Duffy compensation."
Marjory LeBreton, speaking to reporters in the Senate foyer, said, "It's ridiculous. The idea that the prime minister or anyone would pass over elected members of the House of Commons and name Mike Duffy as a minister? It's so ridiculous it's not even funny. It's totally bizarre. Who knows, who knows, but when I read it, when I read it — I don't know who the recipient of the email was — but when I read it I went, like, there isn't a chance of a snowball in hell of this ever happening, and I never spoke to him about it."
However, as soon as Harper formed government in 2006 he advised the Governor General to appoint Montreal businessman and Conservative fundraiser Michael Fortier to the Senate, and immediately put him in cabinet as public works minister. Harper had no Conservative MPs elected in Montreal, and needed a Montreal voice in his cabinet. Fortier promised to run in the next election in 2008, but he was defeated and was not reappointed to the Senate.
LeBreton herself was named from the Senate as a minister of state for seniors for a few years by Harper, although as government Senate leader she is automatically a cabinet member.
On CBC News Network's Power & Politics, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel told host Evan Solomon, "I don't even know where to start with this, it makes me so angry ...These emails are the antithesis of how we function as a party."
Later in the show, Rempel said, "You know, some of my colleagues …have called for [Duffy's] resignation in the Senate. After hearing this story today, I've got to tell you, I couldn't do anything but support that." She added, "The prime minister himself has expressed deep regret for appointing Mike Duffy."
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Post by CentreHice on May 31, 2013 8:42:58 GMT -5
I don't care about Duffy's politics....but it seems, neither does he. He appears to be a very self-entitled individual who has abused his station.
It seems the $90,000 is just the tip of the "what's in it for me" iceberg.
Harper better get a handle on his party's inner-workings. As much as he tries to distance himself from this BS....as leader, he shoulders the bad with the good.
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