Former MP Amos billed Commons $11,500 for transition from public office
Former MP Amos billed Commons $11,500 for transition from public office
Former Pontiac MP Will Amos billed taxpayers more than $10,000 for an executive training course months after he left office. MPs who do not seek re-election or are not re-elected are entitled to up to $15,000 in transition expenses such as career training or education “to help them re-establish themselves”.
According to a House of Commons expense report , Amos billed the House of Commons $11,500 for a course by the Institute of Corporate Directors on August 12, 2022, months after he left office following two high-profile incidents during various House of Commons sessions. In April 2021, he appeared naked in front of colleagues on a parliamentary videoconference, and in May 2021 he urinated during another video meeting. After pursuing a “wellness program” with multiple health professionals, Amos announced in a social media post on August 8, 2021 that he would not be seeking re-election.
In a post on his Facebook page on December 9, 2022, Amos announced that he had completed the Director’s Education Program provided by the Institute of Corporate Directors and the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
In an email response to questions from CHIP 101.9, Amos explained that the course is a reputable one, and said that he paid for more than half of the course himself.
“The DEP course clearly falls within the guidelines of the transition program rules as stipulated in the MP handbook (in order to qualify for transition program funding, ex-MPs must prove the training or education they’re seeking is in a field related to the work they intend to pursue),” he wrote. “In fact, the DEP course cost much more than $11,500 and I paid for more than half of the overall cost myself. Payment occurred within a year after I ceased to serve as Pontiac’s MP, as the transition program rules stipulate.”
He also pointed out that since he served as MP for just under six years, he did not qualify for a pension.
“I served Pontiac for slightly less than 6 years and am therefore not eligible for any pension,” he wrote. “In that context, as I transitioned my career away from politics, I appreciate how this House of Commons transition program helped me and other former MPs undertake a career pivot from that can be difficult for some.”
He concluded by questioning why CHIP wasn’t more interested in his life after politics.
“To be honest, Caleb, I am surprised that CHIP-FM hasn’t reached out at the start of 2023 with a request to interview me on the story of “what is Will Amos doing now”, which I expect your listeners/webreaders would be interested to learn about,” he wrote. “There’s an important “mental health in politics” piece and “family/health before ego and politics” story to be told, and I will tell that story when the time is right.”
