Federal government employees quietly piled up nearly $17,000 in traffic violations while driving government vehicles, according to records obtained through a parliamentary inquiry, raising questions about accountability and who ultimately pays for Ottawa’s bad driving habits.Blacklock's Reporter says the violations, logged by traffic police from British Columbia to Quebec, include speeding and red-light running by staff at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Cabinet Office records show $16,764 in tickets issued to meat inspectors and other agency employees, with incidents reported in cities ranging from Vancouver to Terrebonne, Que.The figures were released in response to a question from Conservative MP Mike Lake (Leduc–Wetaskiwin, Alta.), who asked how many tickets had been issued to federally owned, leased or rented vehicles by police and municipal bylaw officers across the country.Agriculture officials said Food Inspection Agency staff were ticketed ten times for speeding in Moose Jaw, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Niagara and Wellington County, Ont. Those fines totalled $1,473 and were paid directly by the employees. .Workers at the Canadian Grain Commission were also caught speeding twice outside Québec City, accumulating $629 in fines that were likewise covered out of pocket.Not all departments followed that approach. Immigration officials charged taxpayers $727 for tickets issued in Ottawa, while the National Gallery of Canada billed the public $145 for speeding violations involving staff vehicles.The Canada Council for the Arts charged taxpayers $545 to cover employee infractions, including illegal parking in a loading zone and running a red light. No explanation was provided for why the public picked up the tab.In another case, the National Capital Commission absorbed a $90 speeding ticket because “the driver could not be identified,” according to the inquiry. The Commission also paid $3,084 for additional speeding and red-light tickets issued to its employees.Some departments required staff to pay their own way. .A Canadian Heritage employee was ordered to personally cover a $351 speeding ticket issued in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., while an employee of the National Battlefields Commission paid $114 for speeding in Québec City while driving a government-issued vehicle.Employees at the Department of Indigenous Services paid a combined $10,946 in fines for speeding and red-light violations across cities including Calgary, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Regina, Saskatoon, Toronto and Winnipeg.Other examples included a Parole Board employee fined $193 for driving 72 km/h in a 50 km/h zone in Lethbridge, and a Justice Department staffer ticketed $325 for failing to stop at a red light in Ottawa. In both cases, the inquiry noted the employees paid the fines themselves.The Transportation Safety Board reported $443 in photo radar tickets issued to its staff. In one instance, an unnamed employee appealed directly to Moose Jaw police “for leniency,” and the ticket was ultimately withdrawn.The records highlight an uneven approach across federal departments, with some forcing employees to take responsibility for traffic violations and others quietly passing the cost on to taxpayers.
