Minister Bergen Condemns Justin Trudeau for misleading Canadians About Taxpayer Funded Expenses Ottawa – January 16, 2014 – Today, the Honourable Candice Bergen, Minister of State for Social Development and Member of Parliament for Portage—Lisgar issued the following statement on Justin Trudeau’s admission to having to repay money inappropriately billed to taxpayers to subsidise his paid speaking engagements. I have always believed that Justin Trudeaus practice of charging tens of thousands of dollars to charities, churches and seniors groups was not right and went against the understood practice of our duties as Members of Parliament. “Yet throughout it all, Justin Trudeau said that he categorically denied the use of taxpayer funds for his private speaking tours. Not only did Justin Trudeau take money from charities, he also took money from taxpayers – and denied doing so right up until he was caught. Justin Trudeau said, I absolutely never used any House or parliamentary resources in any speaking engagements, in any of my professional work. Justin Trudeaus willingness to take hundreds of thousands of dollars from charity and now taxpayers raises serious questions of his judgment.” After the House of Commons passed a motion asking for a review of all MPs’ expenses related to speaking events, House of Commons Clerk Audrey O’Brien contacted Justin Trudeau on December 5th after discovering he had inappropriately charged taxpayers for a limo to one of his paid speaking events. Until he was caught, Trudeau repeatedly denied having used House of Commons resources to support his paid speaking engagements. -30- Justin Trudeau misleading Canadians on the use of taxpayer resources: I absolutely never used any House or parliamentary resources in any speaking engagements, in any of my professional work, Trudeau said. cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2013/06/12/20895361.html While speaking as an MP, Ive never charged anyone a single penny…Thats the issue that people stumble over. Any work that I did when hired by charities to make a fundraiser successful was completely separate from my role and identity as an MP. (torontosun/2013/06/20/trudeau-says-he-was-hired-as-a-professional-speaker-not-an-mp) NEWMAN on CTV Question Period: Have you, did you, while you were an MP, use any of the House of Commons travel fund to be able to do any of these speaking engagements? TRUDEAU: Absolutely not. From the very first day I arrived as an elected MP in 2008, I checked with the ethics commissioner, we were clear before, during and after. It was always entirely, entirely separate for me. There was no overlap. There should be no overlap. And I never spoke as an MP either. I always spoke as an environmental education advocate, which Ive been for a long time, and as a former teacher. (Justin Trudeau on CTV Question Period- June 16, 2013) Don Martin on CTV Power Play: They seem to think that theres -- youve been charging taxpayers to go back and forth to paid gigs in the past. how do you plead to that charge? Justin Trudeau: I have absolutely never used taxpayer or house resources in any of the private work Ive done. (Justin Trudeau on CTV Power Play - June 13, 2013) Providing incorrect information the Ethics Commissioner in 2010: “Mr. Trudeau said that no staff or resources of his Member of Parliament offices are used for his private speaking activities, other than to ensure that he has no scheduling conflicts. Any requests for private speaking engagements that may come in to his Member of Parliament offices are directed to Speakers’ Spotlight. He included a letter from Mr. Louis-Alexandre Lanthier, his Executive Assistant, confirming this. Mr. Trudeau added that any travel costs associated with his public speaking are entirely assumed by the client and not by his travel points or Member’s Operating Budget.” (Ethics Commissioner Letter to Justin Trudeau and Dean Del Mastro, April 13, 2010) scribd/doc/126219096/Ethics-commissioner-letter-on-Justin-Trudeau-speaking-events
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 00:27:10 +0000
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