B.C. minister's $6,000 for meals OK: NDP

The B.C. NDP is calling for more transparency of MLA expenses, but the party is raising no objection to a Liberal cabinet minister's claims for $6,000 in meal allowances.

Healthy Living Minister Ida Chong's spending has been the recent target of critical newspaper editorials. But Chong has maintained that her meal claims were made in accordance with expense regulations.

NDP House Leader Mike Farnworth might be Chong's political foe, but he is not opposed to the charges she has made to the public purse for meals.

"She's claimed what's allowed under the rules of the legislature of British Columbia," Farnworth said Friday. "Just like every other MLA in the province."  

Farnworth's support for Chong comes amidst recent expense-related controversies among MPs in Canada and Britain.

For more than a year, federal politicians resisted attempts by Auditor General Sheila Fraser to do a performance audit of MPs.

The MPs relented in June when they agreed to open the books on $533 million in annual parliamentary spending after it became apparent that public sentiment was on Fraser's side.

Similar scrutiny of British MPs' expenses in 2009 caused an uproar when claims were revealed for plumbing, moat cleaning and gardening at their private homes, along with chits for chandeliers, hardwood flooring and even a $4,000 plasma TV.

British political commentator Tessa Dunlop said British voters were particularly upset with their MPs for claiming full meal allowances.

"[British] MPs have a very good wage and they are having, literally, a free lunch just because they are allowed to," Dunlop told CBC News in a telephone interview. "Absolutely unacceptable."

Current rules in B.C. call only for transparency on spending by provincial cabinet ministers.

Farnworth said his party is pushing for all B.C. MLA expenses to be made public.

But Farnworth also admitted that although he did not have an exact figure, he likely claimed about the same amount for meals as Ida Chong.