A list of Senate rule changes as a result of the spending scandal

OTTAWA – Sen. Mike Duffy’s criminal trial exposed the murky and sometimes convoluted spending rules in the Senate. Here are some of the changes that have happened since 2013 when the spending scandal first broke:

1) The Senate administrative rules once said that senators were considered to be acting on “their personal honour” and “presumed to have acted honourably in carrying out their administrative functions.” That rule died in 2013, ending the so-called honour system in the Senate.

2) Senators were once able to submit a written note asking for reimbursement of taxi rides that cost less than $30. The Senate now requires receipts for every ride.

3) The Senate’s travel policy used to allow senators the option of charging the Senate for international travel. Now they can only travel internationally if it is part of committee business and need to go to the internal economy committee for any other overseas trips.

4) Senators were once able to file for a secondary residence with little documentation. Now they have to annually provide a copy of their tax return, driver’s licence and health card.

5) The ethics code once only dealt with pecuniary interests where someone could financially benefit. Now, the ethics code is broader with harsher sanctions to allow the Senate to punish any of its members who the Senate believes has acted in a way that is unbecoming of a member of the upper chamber.