PMO staff charged taxpayers more than $220K

[Gone_Fishin]

September 20, 2016 1:46 pm Updated: September 20, 2016 4:26 pm

PMO staff charged taxpayers more than $220K to relocate to Ottawa


A member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s inner circle billed taxpayers more than $125,000 to move to Ottawa, Global News has learned.

Documents obtained by Global News show an unidentified staffer in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) expensed $126,669.56 in relocation costs in order to move to Ottawa, the highest moving bill for political staff in the Trudeau government. Another PMO staffer, also unidentified, charged $80,382.55.

But the Prime Ministers’ Office wasn’t the only ministry to pass on expensive moving bills to the taxpayers.

Canadians will also pick up the tab for a member of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Canada who expensed $75,984.22 in relocation costs, and an employee with Global Affairs who was paid $119,825.69 in relocation costs, including $2,602 in hotel stays. And one staffer for the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development charged $113,799.08.

snip

Canadian Taxpayer Federation’s federal director Aaron Wudrick said some Canadians would be surprised by the six figure expenses.

“Most people when they think of relocation expenses they are thinking about $5,000 or $10,000 at most they certainly aren’t thinking it’s going to be $100,000 or more,” Wudrick said.

He said the Trudeau government should explain why the costs were so high.

“If [staff members] are working for a government that is trying to show they are good stewards of taxpayer dollars it sends a very different message if you are willing to take that kind of money out of taxpayer pockets,” Wudrick said


Read about Liberals being entitled to their entitlements here: http://globalnews.ca/news/2951739/pmo-s ... 36456001=1

[The Green Barbarian]

Disgusting!

[sooperphreek]

money well spent. lets fill the hill with liberal think tankers who will keep up the momentum and power in liberal hands for at least 10 years like the conservatives had. then we can compare legacies.

[Static]

Seems a little overboard.

[Veovis]

money well spent. lets fill the hill with liberal think tankers who will keep up the momentum and power in liberal hands for at least 10 years like the conservatives had. then we can compare legacies.

You can legally deduct moving expenses for new work on your taxes like every other employee, why should an extra 120,000 be added in bonus wages as "moving expenses"?

[JLives]

I'm not OK with this at face value. I'd like more details. That is WAY too high. You can buy a truck and move for that amount.

[sooperphreek]

because they deserve it.

[Walking Wounded]

because they deserve it.

Bull

[maryjane48]

they should have charged more as a bonus for not trying to scare us with a niqab

[Gone_Fishin]

money well spent. lets fill the hill with liberal think tankers who will keep up the momentum and power in liberal hands for at least 10 years like the conservatives had. then we can compare legacies.

This illustrates what is wrong with the Liberal mindset. Power at any price.

[sooperphreek]

This illustrates what is wrong with the Liberal mindset. Power at any price.

says the person who probably wholeheartedly cheered when the conservatives slandered opponents with attack adds and in tax funded commercials during elections.

[Bsuds]

This illustrates what is wrong with the Liberal mindset. Power at any price.

It's not just a Liberal mindset but an overall Political mindset.

There has to be a better system than what we put up with now and those that do nothing but complain about it are just as bad.

[dieseluphammerdown]

Just more liberal entitlements, It's part of their sunny ways agenda that serves only liberal politicians, because you know it's 2016.!

[Muzza]

When I moved my wife and son from our house in Nanaimo to Vernon, it cost $960.00. When I moved from Vernon to Ottawa, it cost $2500. Moving back to Vernon cost about $1500.

I don't get it why the Liberals think they can continually shaft us.

[K_teela]

Geez, looks expensive overall….but you’ guys are trying to make this appear way worse than it is (attempting to make it look like 1 person spending $150k on themselves).

$1.1 million spent on moving 48 people is an average of $22916 each...moving people/families from all across Canada into Ottawa is not cheap. This includes covering: real estate fees, shipping household items up to 9,071.94 kg, shipping a vehicle, house hunting trip expenses, temporary accommodations, and meal allowances among other costs including quitting an existing job (if you want the best of the best, you’ll be taking them away from a high paying private position into a lower paying position in Ottawa).

Not to mention this was all done according to the rules set by the Conservatives in 2008.
“We did not create those rules; we are simply following them,” Trudeau told a news conference Tuesday.

So this is the Conservatives complaining about the Liberals following rules the Conservatives set.

Could they have been more frugal? Probably…but they were following the rules set by the Conservatives. Do they already have a problem with the rules they themselves set? Government expenses should probably be looked at as a whole…but this is hardly just a Liberal problem.