Institutions Minister: Monsef and Citizenship

perception vs: Expenses 101: Liberals get painful lesson in perception vs. reality Gerald Butts and Katie Telford to return $65K in 'unreasonable' expenses Trudeau Liberals spent $1.1M to move political staff A spokesperson for Immigration Minister John McCallum said Monday that Bernard Derible, the minister director of issues management, first came to Ottawa as a contract employee in the fall of 2015, according to CBC. The hotel costs for the months of November and December were covered by taxpayers as a part of the terms of his contract. Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel confronted the government during question period, pressing the Liberals to "come clean" on the expenses front. "We've just learned that it appears the immigration minister hid the cost of moving a senior Liberal staffer to Ottawa from Thailand," Rempel said. "In an official response to Parliament the immigration minister said no such expenses existed, but moments ago we received documents that tell us otherwise." "Are there any other Liberal ministers that want to come clean with these expenses " she asked. After two months Derible was offered a full-time position. Half his flight was also covered. "The original contract was for temporary work, and did not necessitate 'moving/relocation' expenses," a statement from McCallum office read. "Under the terms of the original contract, the flight from his residence in Bangkok along with temporary accommodation and a monthly fee were agreed upon." Early Tuesday, McCallum office contacted CBC News to further explain that Deribe came urgently to Ottawa to assist with the refugee resettlement effort. "He did not claim any expenses to relocate his family from Thailand to Ottawa," Camielle Edwards wrote. He continued to live in a hotel until he moved himself and his family into a home he bought in February, but picked up the bill for his remaining hotel stay himself, according to the spokesperson. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.