Brazeau says he won't pay back living allowance cash, threatens to force public hearing
Senator Patrick Brazeau, who was kicked out of the Conservative caucus after being charged with assault and sexual assault, claims he’s innocent of falsely claiming his father’s house in Maniwaki, Que., as his primary residence and believes he shouldn’t have to pay any money back.
APTN National News
OTTAWA--Senator Patrick Brazeau, who was kicked out of the Conservative caucus after being charged with assault and sexual assault, claims he’s innocent of falsely claiming his father’s house in Maniwaki, Que., as his primary residence and believes he shouldn’t have to pay any money back.
The Senate committee on internal economy issued an edict Thursday directing Brazeau to pay back about $48,700 plus interest following the release of audits into the former Conservative senator’s living expense claims, along with those of Conservative Senator Mike Duffy and Liberal Senator Mac Harb.
Harb has also said he would fight the order to pay back the travel claim cash. Duffy has paid back about $90,000.
Brazeau, however, claims that the audits actually cleared him and issued a press release Tuesday threatening to “explore all options to have this determination overturned,” including “calling a public meeting of the Senate committee on internal economy to explain their decision.”
The audits were done by Deloitte.
“The Deloitte report in no way finds anything untoward regarding the claims and documents filed by Senator Brazeau,” states Brazeau’s press release, which was sent to reporters.
Brazeau, who met with auditors at least twice, said that a draft of the audit he reviewed found him “to have met all four primary residence ‘indicators'” and that “no false claims were made by Senator Brazeau.”
The audit used Brazeau’s driver’s license, health card, income tax return and voter registration as the so-called indicators. The audit noted that the address on the driver’s license, while in Maniwaki, did not match his stated primary residence and that Quebec health cards do not include an address. The audit did find that his income tax return did match and that Maniwaki “appeared to be in these two electoral ridings” were Brazeau voted.
Brazeau also says that he has been ordered to repay about $34,619 in living expenses, plus $144.97 in travel expenses. Conservative Senator Marjory LeBreton, however, told reporters Thursday that Brazeau was expected to pay back about $48,700 plus interest.
The RCMP is also reviewing the audits to determine whether a full investigation is warranted.
“It is unclear how the Committee could have come to this conclusion when there is no clear definition of what, for purposes of their own policy, constitutes a ‘primary residence,'” says Brazeau’s press release. “The Deloitte report in no way finds anything untoward regarding the claims and documents filed by Senator Brazeau.”
Brazeau had claimed his father’s home in Maniwaki, Que., as his primary place or residence, but also rented a house in Gatineau, Que., across the river from Ottawa. Maniwaki is about 130 km north of Ottawa.
Senators are allowed to claim up to $22,000 in living expenses if their primary residence is more than 100 kilometres outside Ottawa.
The audit, found that Brazeau spent only 57, or 10 per cent, of the 549 days examined in Maniwaki. It also found that Brazeau was in Ottawa for 443 days, or 81 per cent of the time reviewed. In that time period, he spent 76 days, or 14 per cent, on Senate business in the capital, but could not account for the remaining 317 days, or 58 per cent, he spent in Ottawa, concluding, “the nature of which is unknown.”
But the audit also could not “identify visits to Maniwaki during the months of December 2011 and March 2012.”
The audit also examined Brazeau’s travel claims for trips between Ottawa and Maniwaki, but could only find evidence for 11 of the 28 days he claimed.
“Given the relatively short travel distance between Ottawa/Gatineau and Maniwaki, it is possible that Senator Brazeau travelled to Maniwaki…without making purchases at stores or using his cell phone,” said the audit. “Overall, we have assessed that all of the trips between Ottawa/Gatineau and Maniwaki claimed by Senator Brazeau did take place or could have taken place.”
The audit examined credit card records, cell phone records, bank accounts and a personal income tax return along with the senators’ travel expense claims and filings.
Brazeau, who was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and was once tapped as a government spokesperson on the murdered and missing women’s file, is already facing assault and sexual assault charges in relation to a domestic incident involving his former partner.
Brazeau also once wrote a song about murdered and missing Indigenous women. It was filmed in the living room of his rented home in Gatineau.
Hum..everyone needs gas, he drives and if he had a gas card, it would make sense that he would use a gas card. Those card purchases would prove his time in Maniwaki.
make him prove his innocence! at this point in time i don’t think he has much in the way of honour or integrity!
Hmmm, something stinks here. Not sure what or who.
I think dirty senators will start using cash and prepay phones to avoid this in the future.