Canadians are owed a straight answer, and yet once again, Ottawa treats transparency as optional. Liberal MP Arielle Kayabaga’s nine-day spending spree — $173,574 billed to taxpayers while Parliament was out of session — is a staggering example of the disconnect between Ottawa politicians and the people who pay their salaries.Kayabaga’s brief tenure as Government House Leader began on March 14, and ended with the election call on March 23. In that short span, she spent $157,028 on “personnel” alone. Add $16,546 for her stint as Minister of Democratic Institutions, and the total hits $173,574. All this while she remained in her riding and performed no duties that required her presence in Ottawa.The story was broken by the respected Blacklock's Reporter in Ottawa.The spending equals a whopping $19,286 a day!What did Canadians get for this extraordinary sum? According to her public schedule and social media posts: a St. Patrick’s Day party, a research office visit, a factory tour with the Prime Minister, a mosque visit, and various campaign events. On March 21, she announced $7.3 million in local grants — while also soliciting volunteers for her campaign. That is the full extent of her billed activity..The principle at stake is simple: taxpayers have a right to know what their money is being spent on. Public Accounts list $173,574 in personnel costs. But when every publicized activity is either ceremonial or partisan, transparency is non-existent. The Privy Council Office’s own guidelines are clear: ministers must separate official government business from partisan activity, especially during elections. Caretaker conventions restrict ministerial actions to emergencies. A nine-day $173,574 bill for campaigning and appearances is not an emergency.This is not just poor optics. It is a betrayal of public trust. Canadians expect their MPs to act responsibly with taxpayer money. Yet here is a minister who treats public funds as her own, bills them for staff while attending local events, and refuses to provide any explanation. Silence is not a defence. If these costs are legitimate, show the receipts. If not, taxpayers deserve accountability. Period.Ottawa’s culture of entitlement is on full display. “Personnel” costs ballooning to six figures in under two weeks, with no meaningful oversight, should be a scandal. Instead, it is treated as routine. Public Accounts are supposed to illuminate government spending, not provide cover for political opportunism..This episode raises uncomfortable questions about how ministerial spending is monitored. Why are vague line items accepted without scrutiny? Why does the system allow MPs to bill eye-popping sums while performing partisan work? Canadians cannot be expected to trust a Parliament that shields these actions from public view.The $173,574 spent by Kayabaga is more than a bookkeeping oddity. It is a wake-up call: Ottawa must clean up its act. Ministers and MPs must be held to account, not just after a scandal, but in real time. Canadians deserve transparency, clarity, and proof that every dollar is spent in the public interest — not the political interest of a single MP.Taxpayers did not vote to bankroll campaign appearances disguised as ministerial duties. They did not authorize $173,574 in nine days of questionable activity. They deserve answers. Ottawa owes them nothing less. And Arielle Kayabaga owes Canadians the truth about every cent.
