Use of car service would never been considered by Alberta ministers: McLean

OTTAWA — The cabinet minister responsible for consumer protection in Alberta says neither she nor her cabinet colleagues would ever consider using an executive car service.

Service Alberta Minister Stephanie McLean says her government is careful to safeguard public dollars — particularly in the wake of the spending scandals that engulfed former premier Alison Redford prior to her 2014 resignation.

“It is certainly important for us to show a different face, a different government, one that cares about every dollar and cent that is being spent and to follow through on that commitment by letting interested parties know how it is being spent without going through a lengthy freedom of access request,” McLean said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

The use of a vehicle company would certainly not reflect the culture inside the Alberta government at the moment, she added.

“We’ve got people that are from … quite diverse backgrounds, too, that would theoretically raise their own eyebrows at somebody else if they made extravagant choices,” McLean said.

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The issue of how ministers get around — and how much they spend doing it — has been a hot topic in Ottawa since federal Health Minister Jane Philpott agreed to repay more than $3,700 spent on two days’ worth of high-end car service. 

The federal ethics commissioner is looking into the car service Philpott used, since the company’s owner was a volunteer for the minister and Toronto-area MP during last year’s federal election campaign.

Another $3,815 worth of travel remains under departmental review to ensure Philpott paid fair market value for 20 trips between the Toronto airport and her home in Stouffville, Ont., 60 kilometres away.

Staff are currently reviewing all expense filings to date to ensure “they are not just appropriate as determined by government directives but also that they would be viewed as reasonable from the perspective of the Canadian taxpayer,” Philpott’s office said Thursday.

If reimbursement is necessary, this will be publicly noted in online proactive disclosure alongside all routinely disclosed expenses in the minister’s office, it added.

Aaron Wudrick, the federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said Thursday his watchdog group would still like to see the receipts in black and white.

Receipts are only available now through an access to information request, like the one done by the Conservative party that led to Philpott’s initial repayment.

“The key difference is the posting of the physical receipts so we can see details that are not available when just the number is provided,” Wudrick said.

Hiring a car service can be a legitimate ministerial expense, he added, but there needs to be an effort made to ensure the cost is reasonable.

“Our original objection to minister Philpott was not the fact she hired a car, it was that the cost of the car was exorbitant,” Wudrick said.

Wudrick’s organization has praised the Alberta government’s practice of posting expense receipts online.

On Thursday, opposition parties took aim at Philpott’s office, noting it is not acceptable that the minister’s staff get to decide if expenses pass muster.

This simply does not make sense, said Conservative health critic Colin Carrie.

“The issue is now she’s having the same staff that displayed a lack of judgment in the first place reviewing it again — I see this as an ethical dilemma,” Carrie said. “The minister needs to come up with something better.”

NDP MP Charlie Angus agreed.

“Let’s be clear. What’s the role of political staffers? It is to keep the minister from getting into trouble so they do damage control — that’s their job,” he said.

“This isn’t about nickel-and-diming ministers, they do important work, they travel all over, but I don’t trust the fact that her own staff are looking over this to tell us whether or not she owes the taxpayers money.”

—Follow @kkirkup on Twitter

Kristy Kirkup, The Canadian Press