Member's Expenditures Report

The expenditures incurred by Members to carry out their parliamentary functions are reported quarterly and published within three months of the end of each quarter. The first quarter of the Members’ Expenditures Report for 2014-2015 outlines Members’ expenditures processed from April 1, 2014 to June 30, 2014. These expenditures are subject to the policies of the Board of Internal Economy in effect when the expenses are incurred. To see the current policies, refer to the Members’ Allowances and Services Manual available on the Parliament of Canada Web site.

The Members’ Expenditures Report presents expenditures by budget and expense category. Each budget is presented in a column, explained below:

• Member's Budgets: This column presents two budgets to which Members may charge expenses.

  • Member's Office BudgetMembers are provided with an annual office budget to pay for employee salaries, service contracts, hospitality and advertising expenses, constituency office leases, office operating costs, transportation expenses (when no travel points are used), as well as other travel-related expenses.

  • Travel Status Expenses AccountMembers are provided with an annual allocation to pay for the per diem and accommodation expenses that they personally incur while in travel status, as well as expenses related to a declared secondary residence.

• Resources Provided by the House: This column presents the costs incurred by the House Administration to support Members in the discharge of their parliamentary functions as well as the costs related to travel points and booked tickets for which a claim has not yet been processed by the House Administration.

• Travel PointsThis column presents travel points used by Members and their authorized travellers in the support of Members’ parliamentary functions and for which a travel expense claim has been processed by the House Administration. Members are provided with travel points at the beginning of each fiscal year, regardless of where their constituency is located in Canada. A travel point is equivalent to one return trip and a trip means a direct trip, by any means, to one destination for a particular purpose.

  • Regular: The number of points used by Members and their authorized travellers when travelling between the constituency and Ottawa.
  • Special: The number of points used by Members and their authorized travellers when travelling to other destinations within Canada. The Detailed Travel Points Report provides additional information on all special trips.
  • U.S.A.: The number of points used by Members when travelling to New York City or Washington D.C. The Detailed Travel Points Report provides additional information on all Members’ trips to the U.S.A.

Members’ expenditures are presented in eight categories explained below:

1. Employees' salariesThis category includes the salaries of Members’ employees.

2. Service contractsThis category includes the cost of professional services contracts to provide Members with professional, technical or administrative services or expertise.

3. TravelThis category includes the travel costs of Members and their authorized travellers and is sub divided as follows:

   • MemberThis sub-category includes Members’ transportation expenses when travelling in support of their parliamentary functions.

   • Designated travellerThis sub-category includes the transportation expenses incurred by Members’ designated travellers who, under specific conditions, may also be reimbursed per diem and accommodation expenses when representing the Member at an event. A designated traveller is a person designated by the Member, other than the Member’s employees or another Member. For a list of current designated travellers, see the Public Registry of Designated Travellers.

   • DependantsThis sub-category includes the transportation expenses incurred by Members’ dependants who, under specific conditions, may also be reimbursed per diem and accommodation expenses when representing the Member at an event. Dependants refer to the Member’s children who are one of the following:

     • under the age of 21;
     • between the age of 21 and 25 and in full time attendance at a recognized educational institution; or
     • regardless of age, wholly dependent upon the Member by reason of physical or mental disability.

   • EmployeesThis sub-category includes transportation, accommodation and per diem expenses incurred by Members’ eligible employees when travelling in support of the Member’s parliamentary functions.

   • Member's accommodation expensesThis sub-category includes accommodation expenses incurred by Members when travelling in support of their parliamentary functions.

   • Member’s per diem expensesThis sub-category includes per diem expenses incurred by Members when travelling in support of their parliamentary functions.

   • Member's secondary residence expensesThis sub-category includes the rental cost and basic utilities fees if the secondary residence in the National Capital Region is rented by the Member, or the accommodation rate for each day the residence is available for the Member’s occupancy and is not rented to any other person if the Member owns the residence.

4. HospitalityThis category includes the cost of food, beverages, catering and service, equipment rentals and/or live entertainment for meetings, non-partisan events and other functions hosted by Members, as well as ticket costs for meals at community activities or events attended by Members.

5. GiftsThis category includes the following:

   • cost of gifts given as a matter of protocol to recognize the value and importance of a person, event or organization from the Member’s constituency; and
   • cost of gifts given to a civic leader or dignitary, as well as small token items in the discharge of the Member’s parliamentary functions.

6. AdvertisingThis category includes the cost of print and other media to advertise the Member’s name and contact information, assistance and services provided, constituency meeting announcements, congratulatory messages, seasonal greetings, partisan opinions or advocacy statements to the Member’s constituents.

7. PrintingThis category includes the cost of printing and photocopying services and is sub-divided as follows:

   • HouseholdersThis sub-category includes the production costs of printed materials sent by Members to households located in their constituency to inform constituents about parliamentary activities and issues.

   • Ten percentersThis sub-category includes the production costs of printed or photocopied materials used to communicate with constituents and reproduced in quantities not exceeding 10% of the total number of households in a Member’s constituency.

   • Other printing-related expensesThis sub-category includes the cost of communication and printing services provided by external suppliers.

8. OfficesThis category is sub-divided as follows:

   • Constituency office leases, insurance and utilitiesThis sub-category includes the cost of office leases and liability insurance, as well as the cost of the utilities (e.g. hydro and gas) for Members’ constituency offices.

   • Furniture, furnishing and equipment purchasesThis sub-category includes the cost of furniture and office equipment purchased by Members for their constituency offices.

   • Equipment rentalsThis sub-category includes the cost of rental agreements for equipment, such as photocopiers.

   • Informatics and telecommunication equipment purchasesThis sub-category includes the cost of computers, laptops, tablet devices, printers and other related equipment, as well as smartphones and related devices.

   • Telecommunication servicesThis sub-category includes the cost of voice and data plans for various mobile devices.

   • Repairs and maintenanceThis sub-category includes the maintenance and repair costs of Members’ offices or assets, such as equipment maintenance and office renovations.

   • Postage and courier servicesThis sub-category includes the cost of postage and courier services.

   • Materials and suppliesThis sub-category includes the cost of materials, paper and office supplies.

   • TrainingThis sub-category includes training costs incurred by Members, their employees, and their spouse, subject to certain conditions.

Detailed Travel Points Report

The first quarter of the Detailed Travel Points Report for 2014-2015 provides additional details on Members’ and authorized travellers’ special trips from April 1, 2014 to June 30, 2014 for which travel points were deducted. The report also provides details related to regular travel points that might be part of a travel expense claim submitted for a special trip. Reporting is based on the claims submitted by Members.

Expenditures are included in the quarter in which they are processed for payment. Any corrections required for a published report will be reflected in the next year-to-date quarterly report.

For more information about the Members’ Expenditures Report, refer to the Frequently Asked Questions. Questions about this report should be directed to the Board of Internal Economy spokespersons or to the particular Member.