John Oliver mocks Senate expenses scandal on Last Week Tonight
Comedian pokes fun at scandal involving expensed hockey games, curling club events
Comedian John Oliver turned his satiricalgaze on Canada's senate scandal inthe latest episode of Last Week Tonight.
During thelate-night HBO show, Oliver played clips from Canadian news networks detailing Auditor General Michael Ferguson's highly anticipated report on the questionable spending by senators. The report identified just under $1 million in wrongful expense claims.
As far as Canadian scandals go, however, this was no RobFord-smoking-crack-while-in-office controversy. Oliver scoffed at the apparent banality of the list of expensed items.
- Auditor general cites lack of oversight for Senate spending mess
- Auditor general Michael Ferguson breaks down $23M cost of Senate audit
- Senator Nancy Ruth slams auditors over 'breakfast' claims
"This scandal couldn't be any more Canadian if public money was used to get Drake to drink maple syrup on Niagara Falls," the British comicsaid, as the Daily Show alumnus displayed an appropriately ridiculous photoshopped image of the hip-hop star doing exactly that.
It wasn't all Mountiesand poutinejokes, though, as he also noted the discrepancy of an inquiry that found $1 million in improper expenses cost nearly $24 million to run.
"How the hell do you spend nearly $24 million auditing stamps and breakfasts?" he askedincredulously.
Oliver also mocked Senator Nancy Ruth's comments from April, whenshe complained about commercial airline breakfasts.
"Let this be a lesson to all politicians. It is hard to elicit any kind of public sympathy when you're uttering a sentence that includes the word 'camembert,'" he said.