Conservatives are expressing outrage at the possibility of the federal government paying former Canadian Mint president David Dingwall a hefty $500,000 severance package.
Dingwall stepped down last week amid a storm of controversy over allegations of lavish spending to the tune of $747,000 in expenses that he and his aides racked up in 2004. Add his salary to the mix, and the amount adds up to more than $1 million.
Through the Access to Information Act, Conservative MP Brian Pallister obtained the documents that uncovered the wild spending in Dingwall's office, which included: $14,000 in meals, a $1,400 tab for a membership in an Ottawa-area golf club, and $1.29 for a pack of chewing gum.
Executive compensation experts estimate Dingwall stands to earn as much as $500,000 in severance -- a figure the government hasn't dismissed.
But Pallister, who also obtained a copy of Dingwall's contract, said nowhere on it does it say the government owes him severance -- especially since the disgraced minister quit his post early.
The contract "spells out two dozen categories he negotiated, (including) golf, gluttony, globe-trotting and gum," said Pallister, who's also the Tory mint critic. "But there's no mention of severance."
On CTV's Question Period, Pallister said giving Dingwall a severance would be "adding insult to injury."
"The proposal is to pay him another half-million dollars potentially for doing nothing.... This is not normal practice. This is not reflective of Canadian values. It might be reflective of Liberal values."
But Revenue Minister John McCallum contends that not only are severance packages standard for senior executives, but "the principal of severance is enshrined in the common law -- it's normal practice."
On Sunday, McCallum repeated his earlier assertion that there's no proof Dingwall broke the law.
"I certainly share the judgment of most Canadians that he displayed poor judgment in charging the chewing gum. But I think the fundamental point is that there's no evidence he did not follow the rules and the common practice as enshrined in the common law," McCallum told Question Period.
The Tories are also demanding the Liberals call in the auditor general to investigate Dingwall's spending practices.
McCallum said Dingwall's expenses were verified by the chief financial officer and then approved by the board. But as an added check, he said the board will also appoint "a very eminent and highly respected Canadian to go through these bills to make sure that he was following the rules."
With a report by CTV's Rosemary Thompson in Ottawa
