CBC: MPs shouldn't fear expenses audit: AG

Canadian members of Parliament should not be afraid to have their expenses audited, if it's true that the rules and regulations in place are as good as the MPs say they are, says Auditor General Sheila Fraser.

"Well, I don't think MPs have anything to fear. They've certainly indicated that they have strong systems and practices in place. If that's the case, I would be very happy to report that."

Fraser said the public and some MPs have clearly "misunderstood" what her intentions were when she asked to do a performance audit of the administration of the House of Commons. Fraser said a performance audit is not as detailed as a forensic audit.

While she could discover inappropriate spending — as happened in Britain with members of Parliament — the performance audit she is recommending is more focused on looking at what spending rules are in place and if they are being followed.

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http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/05/25/mps-expenses.html

She won't have to deal with the outrage that $2.10 was spent on something, and it cost more than $700 for cable tv services to the constituency office, etc, etc.

I'm not saying that the audit won't happen, because it will, but I am thinking that no particular good will come from it.