Post by mary on Jun 12, 2007 10:47:24 GMT -5
Thibault accused of cashing in on public purse
June 12, 2007 at 11:09 AM EDT
Almost half of the $1.7-million paid by the federal government to Quebec's former lieutenant-governor cannot be traced to her official activities and she should be made to pay it back, two reports probing the 10-year tenure of Lise Thibault say.
Canada's Auditor-General, Sheila Fraser, says in her report that about $700,000 in federal cash paid to Lise Thibault between 1997 and 2007 is under doubt.
Meanwhile, a provincial auditor's report that outlines numerous cases of abuse and improper spending says Ms. Thibault should be required to reimburse thousands of dollars in unjustified expenditures.
Double-dipping, personal trips and restaurant tabs as well as fishing, ski and golf excursions that involved no official duties were on the long list of expenses for which Ms. Thibault was reimbursed, despite having no supporting documents to justify her claims, Quebec Auditor-General Renaud Lachance says in his report.
Quebec Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault speaks at the opening of the Quebec legislature on May 9. Clément Allard/CP
Quebec Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault speaks at the opening of the Quebec legislature on May 9. (Clément Allard/CP)
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One instance of spending abuse involved a golf tournament where Ms. Thibault's personal body guard received a $19,000 prize for a hole in one.
In another instance, a return trip airfare of $12,000 was paid for a fishing trip to a provincial park.
The federal audit, released at the same time as the provincial report, shows that $239,000 was spent by Ms. Thibault to cover personal expenses that could not be linked to official duties.
Another $129,000 was double-dipped from the federal government for living expenses already covered by the Government of Quebec, Ms. Fraser says in the report submitted to the Minister for Canadian Heritage.
And $343,200 meant to cover expenses in the provincial capital were considered by the former lieutenant-governor to be bonus pay.
“Since lieutenants-governor serve as heads of state in their provinces, they should be expected to show prudence in the use of the public funds entrusted to them,” Ms. Fraser said.
“It is disappointing to find that the former lieutenant-governor of Quebec failed to meet this reasonable expectation.”
The federal report says that Canadian Heritage “implicitly approved” of the spending because it did not provide clear guidelines for personal expenses from official expenses, and reimbursed Ms. Thibault without the proper documentation.
Ms. Thibault's mandate came to an end last week after Pierre Duchesne was sworn-in as the new Lieutenant-Governor.
Her tenure ended in controversy after news reports in February pointed to the abuse in expenses.
In an unprecedented move, both the provincial auditor and the Auditor-General in Ottawa undertook simultaneous audits of Ms. Thibault's expenses. Their reports were released on Tuesday covering the approximate $1-million a year paid by public funds to cover the Lieutenant-Governor's expenses.
“The Auditor-General of Quebec and his Canadian counterpart recommend, among other things, that their respective government initiate discussions with the former Lieutenant-Governor to determine the sums that she should reimburse in relation to the unjustified outlays,” Mr. Lachance wrote in his report.
From April 1 1997 to March 2007, Ms. Thibault received from Canadian Heritage $343,200 to cover expenses incurred in the provincial capital.
“We found no supporting documents certifying that funds totalling $219,000 (of the $343,200) had actually been used to pay expenses of an official nature,” the provincial auditor concluded. Part of the remaining portion was used to pay suppliers for which there were no clear links with her official duties.
As for expenses outside the provincial capital, about a quarter of the more than $1-million received during her tenure were used for purposes other than her official duties, the reports say.
Parts of the grants were never reported to the federal and provincial revenue departments even though they were never considered as a remuneration supplement or a non-taxable allowance.
Ms. Thibault was also double-dipping, billing both the federal and provincial governments for her duties.
She claimed $129,000 in accommodation and meals from the federal government for which she had been paid an allowance by the Quebec government, according to the report.
There was also another $239,000 in personal expenses that including family reunions, trips, shows and even a personal ski instructor.
Special premiums paid to her personal bodyguard, who acted as her head of security, came close to $45,000 for working on days when no official duty was recorded on her agenda. He was often paid to accompany Ms. Thibault on her golfing and skiing trips.
Even though she is confined to a wheelchair, Ms. Thibault is an avid skier and golfer and was well-known for her keen appreciation of the sports.
The provincial Auditor recommended that tighter controls be imposed on the lieutenant-governor's expenses and that a review be undertaken of the relevance of the staff currently being employed.