Mike Duffy’s Supposed New Reason for Residence Fraud: Healthcare Freeloading
Jane Taber of the Globe & Mail has acquired from an anonymous sourcea new explanation for why Senator Mike Duffy has an Ontario health card and doesn’t pay resident taxes in PEI, even though he claims that his primary residence is in Cavendish and he is compensated to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars by the taxpayer for having said residence while working as a senator in Ottawa:
Mr. Duffy, at the time of his appointment in 2009, was concerned that if he began paying taxes in PEI and using its health-insurance program, he would be forced to seek treatment elsewhere, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
PEI has no cardiac care centre, so residents have to be treated in Saint John or Halifax.
Yikes. Okay, first of all, and this appears to have sailed right over Taber’s head, this is not an argument for registering for a PEI health card. It’s an argument for not moving to PEI in the first place. If you have a heart attack at “home” (read: your vacation cottage) in Cavendish, they’re not going to open up a special, super-secret cardiac unit kept only for off-island visitors because you happen to have an Ontario health card. If you’re worried about the fact that PEI has no cardiac care unit and you need cardiac care, then you don’t live there in the first place.
Which, as it happens, is exactly what Mr. Duffy stands accused of doing. So much for that particular excuse.
But what this again illustrates is that we’re no longer talking about an issue of merely failing to uphold a few technical rules. We’re talking about fraud here.
The only question is: fraud against whom? Against Ontario taxpayers, for using an Ontario health card when he is really a primary resident of PEI, or against federal taxpayers, for collecting expense fees for his PEI cottage when he is really a primary resident of Ontario?
Either way, I guess we now know why right-wingers are so paranoid that lazy, self-interested gits are ripping off the welfare system. That’s what they think is going on, because it’s exactly what they do when given the opportunity.
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WhigWag
Well, to be fair to Taber, I suppose, she was just explaining why Duffy hadn’t attempted to establish PEI residency until, er, he had to , to try to get himself out of the false expense claim allegations.
But even apart from all that, the more important fact (from the Constitutional & grounds to lose seat pt. of view) remains:
by all accounts, it appears he was not a resident of PEI at the time of the Senate appointment in the first place (and still isn’t, which is nearly a separate issue for this pt) and thus is INELIGIBLE to be a Senator for PEI & thus must be ejected from the Senate. (Although I suppose it would remain open to Harper to reappoint him as a Senator from Ontario as soon as a slot opens there.)
thwap
That’s a big excuse for right-wing paranoia and brutality. They project their own moral failings on everyone else.
Moira Law
A truly profound insight : “… we now know why right-wingers are so paranoid that lazy, self-interested gits are ripping off the welfare system. That’s what they think is going on, because it’s exactly what they do when given the opportunity.” I always wondered; now I get it.
G.J.W.
There are no ethics nor morals left in this country. Canada’s corruption started at the top of the food chain. Corruption has spread into every nook and cranny.
Robo-call election fraud, has now spread into Saskatchewan. Cheating to win elections with robo-call fraud, is now permissible in Canada. Degenerates are hired, to do the dirty work in politics.
It is the Politicians and the wealthy who, are the first to line up at the trough and squeal for more money.. Duffy is no different than the other government parasites. Politicians have huge salary’s and gold plated pensions. They can well afford to pay their own, Health Care and hospital procedures. Politicians have enough expense account money, to live off the Canadian people for free.
The money Politicians steal from the people, is absolutely obscene. They are true parasites, that can damned well pay their own way.
MoS
I think the fraud isn’t primarily his claim for living expenses but the declaration he signs attesting to Prince Edward Island residence that qualifies him to be a senator from that province under s. 23(5) of the Constitution Act. If he’s not resident in the province, and he’s not nor has he been at any time since his appointment, he has obtained and held his position in the senate by false pretences. I am not at all sure that is an error that can be corrected after the fact even if he could find someone to shovel out his driveway on Happy Lane, Cavendish.
Sixth Estate
MoS — If he is getting living expenses in Ottawa on the grounds that his primary residence is in PEI when it actually isn’t, I’m not sure what other word you would use to capture that situation.
Now, if he wasn’t a resident of PEI at all, then that would seem to render him ineligible for the Senate as well. However my suspicion is that the Senate conventions with regard to residence, broadly defined, as opposed to residence, defined as “primary” for compensation purposes, allows for a fair bit of leeway. After all, we used to have a senator living in Mexico. I don’t know what province he was supposed to represent, but obviously he wasn’t a resident of it.
That said, there is a question of whether Duffy would have qualified as a resident of PEI when he was appointed, even if he doesn’t now, and I suppose that’s a valid question too.
Purple Library Guy
On the “I guess we now know why right-wingers are so paranoid that lazy, self-interested gits are ripping off the welfare system. That’s what they think is going on, because it’s exactly what they do when given the opportunity.”
In this connection I think it may be worth noting that studies show a strong correlation between income and the traits associated with psychopathy. That is, the wealthy are more likely on average to be psychopathic or have such tendencies.
me-me-me-its-all-about-me
Hey Sixth,
We’re talking “Jane Taber” here. You know, the one whose idea for a column would be a glowing bio of a cabinet minister.
I wouldn’t expect anything other than a “Defense-of-the-Regime” column from her.
I would agree with you that the “Residency” thing is a big of a red herring. It wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of Senators fail the residency test since they have to be in Ottawa for part of the year when the Senate is doing its business.
As another item, it would be interesting to see what province the Duff chose to file his income tax returns in. In Canada, it is whatever province you happen to declare your “principal residence” is in as of Dec 31st.
But I bet we won’t see any of those.
Elizabeth Johns
Of course Jane Taber would defend her fellow CTV attack dog. She who giggled uproariously at the misteps of all opposition MPs when she was with Question Period. Probably will be named to the senate in due course, when an opening occurs. Maybe she should move to PEI so she can fill Goofeys seat when he gets turfed.
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kootcoot
I don’t blame PEI for not wanting to provide health insurance to Puffy Duffy. He looks like an impending hog of high cost intensive cardiac care! He could personally eat up the health care resources of the rest of the Islanders.
jrkrideau
From CBC reports it looks like Pamala Wallin is doing a bit of ducking and weaving on her province of residence.
I wonder how many other senators are feeling a bit nervous.?
Sixth Estate
Yes. She says she was there less than six months last year. I wonder if that’s enough time to qualify for, say, a Saskatchewan health card.
ab
The healthcare card excuse is nonsense. If he was a resident of PEI, filed his income tax there and had a PEI healthcard, there would be no difference whatsoever to what health services he has access to.
That is because except for the province of Québec, residents of a province can use their own healthcard in another province, the same as they would use it at home. The province in which they are treated then claims the amount for these services to the province of residence, which reimburses that amount without the patient ever having to worry about anything. It’s the same as using your healthcard in your province of residence.
So I really don’t understand why that would make any difference in Mike Duffy’s case.
This is all getting so depressing.
james
Obviously Mr. Duffy is not a resident of P.E.I. and there for he is ineligible to continue serving as a Senator representing P.E.I.
Mr.Duffy ( knowingly ) submitted a false statement of residency to obtain additional funds he was not entitled to.
Why is this man still sitting in the senate ?