Ritz has biggest tab for trips and hospitality

Bev Oda may be in hot water for her champagne tastes, but by no means is she the highest-spending member of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet, the Canadian Press is reporting.

That distinction goes to Saskatchewan's Gerry Ritz, the agriculture minister, who has racked up the biggest travel and hospitality tab of any of his Conservative colleagues in recent years.

Since March 2010, his expenses for trade missions to places such as Italy, Turkey, Indonesia and Japan have totalled $271,489.

Ritz, the member of Parliament for Battlefords—Lloydminster, just barely edged out Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to claim the top spot.

Ritz's spokeswoman, Meagan Murdoch, says all his travel helped Canadian agriculture exports hit record levels of $44 billion last year.

Oda, minister of International Co-operation, had the fifth-highest travel and hospitality expenses over a two-year period, behind Ritz, Flaherty, Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird.