Auditor General Michael Ferguson willing to audit MP expenses

Federal Auditor General Michael Ferguson is ready to turn his attention to the expense accounts of members of Parliament, days after his office wrapped up a two-year investigation into Senate spending.

Canada's auditor general said he has already offered to examine MPs'expenses and is ready to dive into another audit, if the House of Commons invites him to review its books.

"We are ready to play whatever audit role in terms of spending of members of Parliament that the House of Commons want us to take on," Ferguson told CBC's Information Morning Fredericton on Thursday.

It gives the Senate an opportunity to try to resolve the issues of the past but then move into the future in a way that will start to restore that public confidence.- Auditor General Michael Ferguson

"We are ready to do our bit in the oversight in the spending of members of Parliament. I think that there are points in there that the House of Commons can learn from."

Ferguson's long-awaited Senate report was released on Tuesday and revealed 30 current and former senators had beenflagged for questionable spending claims. Those claimstotallednearly $1 million.

Nine of those cases, including two sitting senators, have been sent to the RCMP for possible investigation.

Ferguson pitched the idea of independent oversight of MPs' expenses to the procedure and House affairs committee in 2013.

He said independent oversight over MPs' expenses would strengthen Canadians' confidence in the system.

The auditor general said on Thursdayhe hopes his report into the expenses of senators will provide the same function.

"I think what this audit does, it gives the Senate a roadmap forward," Ferguson said.

"It gives the Senate an opportunity to try to resolve the issues of the past but then move into the future in a way that will start to restore that public confidence."

AG explains $23M Senate report

The auditor general's investigation did not come cheaply, however.

The report, which found roughly $1 million in questionable spending claims, cost $23.6 million.

But Ferguson said about half of the cost covered the office space and other items that his office would have had to pay for regardless of whether he was reviewing the Senate.

The direct cost was closer to $11 million, Ferguson said. That is the money that could have been devoted to other audits.

The audit took two years, examined 116 senators, looked at 80,000 expense items and included more than 120,000 hours of personnel time.

Ferguson said his office did not receive any additional money to pay for the audit, so it all came out of his normal budget.

The auditor general said it was worth the hefty price tag.

"When you look at something like the environment that is surrounding senators now, with the [Mike] Duffy trial with upcoming trials of other senators, I think if we hadn't done this work, people would be asking for it, they would want to know well about all the other senators. Now that is known," he said.

"The other thing is, if the Senate had had in place the transparency, accountability of a regular audit regime based on samples, we never would have to do this work at all."