BC’s Finance Minister is defending millions of taxpayer dollars being spent on government credit cards across the ministries and the premier’s office.
Kevin Falcon says as people hear about the costs coming from the various ministries they shouldn’t jump to any conclusions.
“Many of them seem unexplainable but once people understand why the cards were utilized they are following typical government policies that they are required to follow I think what is important for the public to know is the reason we put all of this stuff out there is so people have the ability for people to take a look and that in itself shines a bright light of accountability on government.”
Falcon says a $ 300 purchase for the infidelity website “Ashley Madison” is one example of a fraudulent charge, that was caught
“It did not slip through that was an expense that was done illegally so it is fraud obviously that was reversed because we are not going to be paying for fraud that takes place and that does occasionally happen I was a Minister of Transportation at the time when some fraud took place and people were misusing the card for purchasing terrible pornographic what ever it was and all of those got reversed.”
Falcon says in the case of the almost half a million in spending out of the premier’s office, that is just the cost of doing business.
“Some of them granted are very high you know 26-hundred bill at a restaurant people say wow that is a lot but you know when you are hosting all the Premier’s from across the country the truth is you don’t take them to McDonalds but I think government is trying to be responsible but also uphold our responsibilities to entertain when we are chairing the Premier’s from across the country and make sure we do it responsibly.”
The Premier’s office rang up $ 475,000 in credit card charges more than double the use in the year previous under former Premier Gordon Campbell.
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