Another day, another horror story from the B.C. legislature. It emerges that Speaker of the House Bill Barisoff, deputy Speaker Claire Trevena and the clerk of the assembly spent a week in Kenya at taxpayers' expense. All three took their spouses.
We don't yet know the full cost of this junket, because Barisoff and Trevena aren't saying. The Speaker's office told reporters to ask the clerk.
What we do know is that the clerk's expense claim was a staggering $18,500. Assuming the others filed similar claims, the all-in price tag must have been around $55,000.
And what were they doing in Kenya that necessitated such an enormous drain on the public purse? They were attending a conference held by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
The association has something of a reputation in government circles. It meets once a year in exotic and salubrious surroundings. To provide an air of substance, papers are read that any competent research assistant could find online in half an hour.
Most of the topics are boilerplate: "The role of Parliamentarians in Conflict Resolution," "Terrorism, the Threat to Democracy, Peace and Security" and so on.
The association is, in short, a travel agency and holiday camp where elected officials can enjoy their creature comforts far from the prying eyes of constituents. This year's conference is in Sri Lanka.
But it doesn't stop there. Our parliamentarians have cooked up numerous variations on this theme.
According to Integrity B.C., a new independent watchdog group, the clerk of the legislature took a number of costly trips while he was acting chief electoral officer.
During a four-month period in 2010, Craig James spent $24,790 visiting, among other locations, Mexico (government conference on parliamentary law), Quebec City (annual meeting of public accounts committees), Phoenix (National Conference of State Legislatures) and Kananaskis, Alta. (purpose unknown).
These are not inexpensive venues. The Alberta government built Kananaskis with the deliberate aim of eclipsing federal parks like Banff and Jasper.
The resort James stayed at in Phoenix offers this description of its grounds: "A restful oasis of 39 acres covered with lush gardens, glistening swimming pools and Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced architecture." Nightly rates are $483, taxes and resort fees included.
Some balancing considerations must be noted. The Kenya trip James took had been planned before he was appointed acting chief electoral officer. And he found a package airline deal that allowed his wife to fly with him at less than the Air Canada single-ticket rate.
But this whole business is an outrage. It crosses party lines - Barisoff is a Liberal MLA, Trevena represents the NDP.
And we've seen it all before. In 2010, when a furor ignited over Liberal MLA Ida Chong's expenses, the NDP hurried to her rescue.
Chong, a cabinet minister and MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, claimed $6,000 for meals, although she lives only a few minutes from work. That equals the entire annual allowance for food, clothing and personal care for people on disability relief. Chong makes $152,000.
But NDP spokesman Mike Farnworth had this to say of Chong: "She's claimed what's allowed under the rules of the legislature. Just like every other MLA in the province." That last sentence, at least, we believe.
When every other area of the public sector is facing cutbacks, the behaviour of our MLAs is shameful. They behave in this fashion for the simplest of reasons - because they can.
Enough is enough. Put an end of these junkets. Resign from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association - they'll get on fine without us.
So will the American Conference of State Legislatures and the government of Mexico. If our elected representatives can't find a better use for their time, we'll come up with one at the next election.
