Well, why shouldn't she?

The Ottawa Citizen is reporting that Auditor General Sheila Fraser has had informal discussions with staff on Parliament Hill with regards to an audit of the spending done by our MP's. (h/t to Joel at ProudtobeCanadian.ca)


The article indicates that some MP's aren't too happy with this idea however. It mentions quotes by two MP's opposed, Pat Martin (NDP) and Derek Lee (Liberal). As Martin put it:

"There are internal checks and balances that are subject to the scrutiny of the Canadian people at election time. That's their chance to comment,"

Or Mr. Lee's comment:

"I don't think the auditor general should want to do anything other than that which she is asked to do by statute or by Parliament," Mr. Lee said.

"There will be resistance, I think, among some members for diverse reasons to going through an audit of their individual budgets."

Not all MPs agree though, both Garth Turner (Conservative) and Peter Stoffer(NDP) agreed that "it should be open." And communications officer Isabelle Serrurier said the Fraser has the authority under the Auditor General's Act and the Financial Administration Act to conduct the audit of Parliament.

Now, I'm of the opinion that we Canadians should have every opportunity to see how our MP's are spending OUR money. But I have no doubt there will be great resistance to this audit by members of all of the parties. One can only hope that Sheila is successful in her fight and brings more accountability and openness to the way our money is being spent.

Technorati Tags: Sheila Fraser, Auditor General, Government Spending