Social media users have claimed that an auditor general's report found Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland expensed $6,000 a month for personal grooming. This is false. The is no such report.
The claim varies slightly from post to post, but generally suggests an auditor general's report found Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland expenses around $6,000 a month for personal grooming. Some, such as a by a self-described news account, are more specific, describing Freeland's "lavish personal grooming tab!" as including things ranging "from luxe hairdressers, to spa sessions and personal trainers," or described the claim as "breaking" news.
Many of those spreading the claim make derogatory comments about Freeland's appearance and its supposed high price tag. That includes posts a since-deleted post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by an that claims it sometimes posts "parodies," which may be the origin of the claim.
Another from Feb. 20, the day the claim appears to have begun circulating, has been viewed at least 600,000 times and been reposted at least 1,000 times, according to statistics visible on X.
The claim has also been and .
Rating: False
The auditor general has released one report this year, on Feb. 12 — an investigation into the government's ArriveCAN border application, which found "." It makes no mention of Freeland, nor her title or office.
The auditor general's office released in 2023, none of them mention Freeland, by her name or title. There is a single reference to the minister of finance in the auditor general's of federal organizations during the 2022-2023 fiscal year. However, that reference simply states the minister is legally required to publish an annual report on measures taken to mange the financial risks and opportunities associated with climate change and has nothing to do with spending or expense claims.
A spokeswoman for the auditor general's office said she had seen the social media posts and that the audit they refer to isn't real. "I can confirm that no such audit has taken place. The auditor general’s mandate is to audit the operations and services of federal and territorial government organizations," Natasha Leduc wrote in an email.
Members of the House of Commons are allowed to claim certain expenses related to their duties — including costs related to maintaining a constituency office, travel within Canada, relocating to Ottawa, employee salaries and advertising, according to the .
"Members may not charge household, personal, premium or customized items to any budget," the document reads. They are also forbidden from using their budget for "personal expenditures such as personal meals and traffic violation fines."
MPs are also banned from using their budgets for "the purchase or rental of formal wear" as well as a range activities that are seen as political and not related to their duties as members of Parliament.
A gym in the Parliamentary Precinct is available to members, but they must pay a $100 fee to use it. "This fee is a personal expense and not chargeable to any budget," according to the manual.
published on the House of Commons website for the period between July 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2023, the most recent period for which data is available, don't show any spending that appears to be related to grooming, gyms or spas.
In 2016, that Freeland declared spending of $532 for hair and makeup appointments during the 2015 federal election campaign in her filings to Elections Canada.
According to Elections Canada's , candidates can be reimbursed up to $200 for "other personal expenses" during the campaign, including dry cleaning and personal grooming, that they wouldn't have incurred if there was no election. Any additional expenses beyond the $200 cap must be funded by the campaign.
No similar expenses appear on Freeland's for or .
Sources
Claims can be found on X, formerly Twitter, (), (),Ìý (), on Facebook (), Instagram () and YouTube ()
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2023 auditor general reports: (), (), (), (), (), (), (), () and ()
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