Ottawa

Do you know where your senator lives? Does it matter?

The Senate is subject to existential questions

The Senate report on housing allowances for senators is here. The Senate committee makes three recommendations.

In order to improve stewardship of Senate operations with respect to primary and secondary declarations, your Committee makes the following recommendations:

1. That accompanying their primary residence declaration each senator furnish a driver’s licence, a health card and the relevant page of their income tax form each and every time the declaration is signed. This declaration is signed annually for the purpose of claiming living expenses in the NCR.

2. that the Internal Economy Committee instruct management to standardize terminology in the Senate’s policy instruments;

3. that the Senators’ Travel Policy be reviewed to comply with primary residence declarations.

The expenses of four senators—Mike Duffy, Mac Harb, Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeau—remain under review.

The committee sets aside the larger issue of the constitutional residency requirement, but the question remains. The Prime Minister apparently believes that all senators meet the requirement. Pending further clarification of precisely what the Constitution Act requires, he might be right.

In other news, senators might save money by taking the train for free.

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