Tories preach belt-tightening as costs soar

The Vancouver Sun:

Expenses in PM's office, entire cabinet continue to climb as government embarks on deficit reduction

The annual cost of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office has ballooned to nearly $10 million, a jump of 30 per cent over the last two years. The figures are contained in documents tabled in Parliament on Thursday which contain details on government expenditures.

The Public Accounts of Canada also reveal taxpayers are footing a much higher bill for the entire Conservative cabinet, with its costs increasing by 16 per cent since 2007-08, when the books began recording the expenses of the prime minister and his ministers.

The dramatic hike in costs has come as the government embarks on an offensive to reduce the $56-billion deficit and Harper's ministers have continually pledged to tighten their own belts to help out.

And yet the new figures contained in the Public Accounts show the trend at the very centre of the Tory government has been one of rising expenses.

In 2009-10, the costs of Harper's office was $9.89 million -- compared to $8.1 million the previous year and $7.5 million in 2007-08. Among the highest costs for this year's expenses was $8.8 million in staffing, $684,805 in "transportation and communications", and $230,365 in "professional and special services."

The total costs for the Conservative cabinet in 2009-10 reached $67.6 million -- compared to $59.3 million the previous year and $58.1 million in 2007-8.

Soon after the Tories were re-elected in 2008, they issued an economic update in which Finance Minister Jim Flaherty signalled that a recession was coming and it was time for austere measures.

"We cannot ask Canadians to tighten their belts during tougher times without looking in the mirror," said Flaherty. "Canadians have a right to look to government as an example. We have a responsibility to show restraint and respect for their money. Canadian tax dollars are precious. They must not be spent frivolously or without regard to where they came from."

On Thursday, Harper's press secretary, Andrew MacDougall, said the Prime Minister's Office takes seriously its obligation to spend taxpayers' money wisely. He noted that the new figures in the Public Accounts that reveal ministers' expenses are now public because of a change the Tory government made through the Federal Accountability Act in 2006.

MacDougall added that this year's budget has committed the government to freezing expenses in ministers' offices.

He explained that the rise in PMO expenses is the result of two things: A larger communications staff to help the prime minister and his ministers communicate with Canadians; and, to a lesser extent, increased travel by Harper throughout Canada as he informed the public of the government's actions to fight the recession. MacDougall said a larger communication staff is needed because "news is happening all the time now, there's more media formats and more outlets."