Editorial: 'Limousine Jane' is not the only politician enjoying the perks of public office

Author and former political insider, Warren Kinsella, tells a story of then-Prime Minister Jean Chretien refusing a limousine that was sent to pick him up at the airport by a party organizer. Instead the Prime Minister waited at the airport until he was provided a more modest car, one preferably made in Canada, as the story goes.

This anecdote about our former Prime Minister is charming and amusing because it is a side of politics we don't always see. The Chretien story stands in contrast with the news that current Health Minister Jane Philpott expensed approximately $7,500 towards a chauffeur driven luxury car on visits to the GTA earlier this year. Although Dr. Philpott has reimbursed some of this money, many in the media are now calling her "Limousine Jane".

Newmarket politicians haven't been immune to expense related controversy either.

• Councillor Jane Twinney bragged on Twitter about how "civilized" she felt enjoying a latte in the lounge on her way to an out of town to attend a junket paid for by taxpayers. "I can see myself loving this", Twinney wrote.

• Councillor Tom Vegh expensed a 3 night stay at a Toronto downtown luxury hotel to in order to attend a conference on public libraries. Unlike many of Newmarket's daily commuters, Vegh didn't want to endure the rigors of travelling to Union Station on GO Transit to save the taxpayers his $900 tab.

• Despite receiving annually his $6,400 car allowance from the Town of Newmarket, Deputy Mayor John Taylor expensed a 12 minute drive to Seneca College King Campus. The $26 tab he charged to taxpayers for his trip is an obscene amount to many local students who make that same trek each day.

• The Town of Newmarket offers a home computer purchase program to assist employees by, "enhancing their knowledge and skills in the use of technology by assisting in the acquisition of computers for home use," (excerpt from the program's description). In addition to the corporately owned laptop and the I-Pad the municipality provides to all members of Council, Mr. Taylor has received a $500 refund for a home computer that he purchased through the employee program too.

Although these amounts may seem like small potatoes when compared to the more than $100 million the Town of Newmarket spends each year on municipal operations and capital improvements, they do suggest a basic lack of respect for the money that the average property owner has to earn in order to pay their taxes.

Politicians and bureaucrats need to consider if the public benefits from their discretionary spending.

A very simple rule of thumb: If there is no public benefit received by the purchase of a latte, a hotel stay, or a personal home computer, then the politicians shouldn't use public money to pay for it.