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2014-12-13 01:18:21 UTC
By Glen McGregor, Ottawa CitizenDecember 12, 2014
Taxpayers pay for 3 political staffers in Heritage dept. Winnipeg 'satellite'
office
The NDP wants more scrutiny over cabinet ministers’ offices outside of Ottawa
to determine whether they’re doing political work on the taxpayers’ tab.
NDP MP Charlie Angus says there are “way too many political players on the ice
being paid for by taxpayers.” He wants greater oversight on the kind of work
done in so-called ministers’ regional offices, or MROs.
Figures tabled in Parliament by Treasury Board Secretariat this week showed 39
ministerial staff were working outside of the National Capital Region in the
2013-14 fiscal year.
“There seems to be a pattern that ministers have this budget to be able to move
staff into regions that are close to home or politically sensitive to the
Conservative Party,” Angus said.
“They’re cutting front-line staff, they’re cutting services all over, and we
wondered if they’re boosting money into these shadowy offices and, sure enough,
they are. Where is the accountability?”
The Treasury Board data show that ministerial staff in certain regions have
been shuffled from one department to another, ensuring they were assigned to
the senior political minister in the area.
For example, when Manitoba Conservative MP Shelly Glover became minister of
Canadian Heritage in 2013, taking over from B.C.’s James Moore, the Department
of Canadian Heritage began paying for three ministerial staffers working out of
a regional office in Winnipeg.
One of them had previously worked as Glover’s constituency assistant and had
also worked on her 2011 election campaign. Another of the newly hired staff in
the Winnipeg office had previously worked for Public Safety Canada when its
minister, Vic Toews, was the Conservatives’ political lieutenant for Manitoba.
“It boggles the mind that they have a minister of heritage from Manitoba and
suddenly they’re shifting staff to Manitoba in the run-up to an election,”
Angus said.
Similarly, ministerial staff in Vancouver who worked for Canadian Heritage when
Moore was minister of the department now draw their salaries from Industry Canada.
Treasury Board rules allow for ministers’ regional offices, though they are not
supposed to replicate the work of MPs’ constituency offices or do strictly
political work. The governments pays for the office space, salaries and expenses.
The ministerial employees are called “exempt staff” because they can be
appointed to the jobs without going through the public service hiring process
and are typically drawn from political supporters.
The NDP is facing allegations it misused parliamentary resources by stationing
staff paid for by the House of Commons in Quebec “satellite offices” of leader
Thomas Mulcair. The party has suggested in its defence that the government also
puts taxpayer-funded staff in the regional offices to assist its MPs.
Angus said he became curious about ministerial offices when he learned that
Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq, who represents the riding of Nunavut, had
ministerial staff, paid for by her department, stationed in the northern
communities of Iqaluit, Whitehorse and Yellowknife. Previously, the offices had
been affiliated with Health Canada, under Aglukkaq’s previous portfolio, he said.
“I thought we needed Health people up there and suddenly they’re working for
Environment,” Angus said. “If the ministry of Health was up there because they
were needed to do special parliamentary work, you’d think they’ll still be there.”
The overall number of exempt staff, of whom most work in Ottawa, has risen
sharply under the Conservative government. In 2014 there were 21 per cent more
political staff hired compared to 2005, the last full year of Liberal government.
The government telephone directory lists Glover’s Winnipeg-based staff as
regional director Olivia Baldwin Valainis, special assistant Jeremy Davis and
special assistant Patricia Rondeau, whose voice mail says she is responsible
for “caucus relations.” Until 2012, Baldwin Valainis had worked from Winnipeg
as an aide to Toews.
Travel records show that Canadian Heritage has paid $2,894 to twice fly Baldwin
Valainis to Ottawa for meetings, and $2,450 to send her to New York City in
May, to accompany the minister on a trip to Carnegie Hall for a performance by
the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
Rondeau, who left the ministerial office recently, was in the news last year in
relation to a dispute with Elections Canada over Glover’s campaign spending in
the 2011 election. She later worked as Glover’s constituency assistant.
In an email, Glover’s press secretary, Marisa Monnin, said spending by Glover’s
office has been falling, down $2.5 million in 2013-14 compared to the previous
year, and down $4.5 million since 2008-09.
“That’s getting results for the taxpayer,” Monnin wrote.
Taxpayers pay for 3 political staffers in Heritage dept. Winnipeg 'satellite'
office
The NDP wants more scrutiny over cabinet ministers’ offices outside of Ottawa
to determine whether they’re doing political work on the taxpayers’ tab.
NDP MP Charlie Angus says there are “way too many political players on the ice
being paid for by taxpayers.” He wants greater oversight on the kind of work
done in so-called ministers’ regional offices, or MROs.
Figures tabled in Parliament by Treasury Board Secretariat this week showed 39
ministerial staff were working outside of the National Capital Region in the
2013-14 fiscal year.
“There seems to be a pattern that ministers have this budget to be able to move
staff into regions that are close to home or politically sensitive to the
Conservative Party,” Angus said.
“They’re cutting front-line staff, they’re cutting services all over, and we
wondered if they’re boosting money into these shadowy offices and, sure enough,
they are. Where is the accountability?”
The Treasury Board data show that ministerial staff in certain regions have
been shuffled from one department to another, ensuring they were assigned to
the senior political minister in the area.
For example, when Manitoba Conservative MP Shelly Glover became minister of
Canadian Heritage in 2013, taking over from B.C.’s James Moore, the Department
of Canadian Heritage began paying for three ministerial staffers working out of
a regional office in Winnipeg.
One of them had previously worked as Glover’s constituency assistant and had
also worked on her 2011 election campaign. Another of the newly hired staff in
the Winnipeg office had previously worked for Public Safety Canada when its
minister, Vic Toews, was the Conservatives’ political lieutenant for Manitoba.
“It boggles the mind that they have a minister of heritage from Manitoba and
suddenly they’re shifting staff to Manitoba in the run-up to an election,”
Angus said.
Similarly, ministerial staff in Vancouver who worked for Canadian Heritage when
Moore was minister of the department now draw their salaries from Industry Canada.
Treasury Board rules allow for ministers’ regional offices, though they are not
supposed to replicate the work of MPs’ constituency offices or do strictly
political work. The governments pays for the office space, salaries and expenses.
The ministerial employees are called “exempt staff” because they can be
appointed to the jobs without going through the public service hiring process
and are typically drawn from political supporters.
The NDP is facing allegations it misused parliamentary resources by stationing
staff paid for by the House of Commons in Quebec “satellite offices” of leader
Thomas Mulcair. The party has suggested in its defence that the government also
puts taxpayer-funded staff in the regional offices to assist its MPs.
Angus said he became curious about ministerial offices when he learned that
Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq, who represents the riding of Nunavut, had
ministerial staff, paid for by her department, stationed in the northern
communities of Iqaluit, Whitehorse and Yellowknife. Previously, the offices had
been affiliated with Health Canada, under Aglukkaq’s previous portfolio, he said.
“I thought we needed Health people up there and suddenly they’re working for
Environment,” Angus said. “If the ministry of Health was up there because they
were needed to do special parliamentary work, you’d think they’ll still be there.”
The overall number of exempt staff, of whom most work in Ottawa, has risen
sharply under the Conservative government. In 2014 there were 21 per cent more
political staff hired compared to 2005, the last full year of Liberal government.
The government telephone directory lists Glover’s Winnipeg-based staff as
regional director Olivia Baldwin Valainis, special assistant Jeremy Davis and
special assistant Patricia Rondeau, whose voice mail says she is responsible
for “caucus relations.” Until 2012, Baldwin Valainis had worked from Winnipeg
as an aide to Toews.
Travel records show that Canadian Heritage has paid $2,894 to twice fly Baldwin
Valainis to Ottawa for meetings, and $2,450 to send her to New York City in
May, to accompany the minister on a trip to Carnegie Hall for a performance by
the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
Rondeau, who left the ministerial office recently, was in the news last year in
relation to a dispute with Elections Canada over Glover’s campaign spending in
the 2011 election. She later worked as Glover’s constituency assistant.
In an email, Glover’s press secretary, Marisa Monnin, said spending by Glover’s
office has been falling, down $2.5 million in 2013-14 compared to the previous
year, and down $4.5 million since 2008-09.
“That’s getting results for the taxpayer,” Monnin wrote.
