Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu repays $907 in expenses

A Conservative senator from Quebec has agreed to repay $907 in expense claims following an investigation into residency claims by the Senate's internal economy committee.

Senator David Tkachuk, chair of the committee on internal economy, issued a statement on Thursday saying while "no rules were broken" Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu has reimbursed expenses he "mistakenly claimed."

In a separate statement, Boisvenu said while he was "within the rules" he felt "uncomfortable" with the claim and has fully repaid $907 he claimed in residency expenses.

"The committee is satisfied with Senator Boisvenu's explanation and has closed this issue," Tkachuk said in a written statement.

Boisvenu explained that on Feb. 28, after reviewing the facts, the Senate confirmed that he was part of the 95 senators who met the eligibility criteria for the allocation for primary residence.

"While I was transitioning to new accommodations in summer 2012, I stayed for a short period of time with an individual with which I had a relationship," he said.

And while "everything I did was within the rules," Boisvenu said he repaid the expenses because he does not want "there to be any doubt about the expenses related to my work as a senator."

Boisvenu recently also came under fire for having a romantic relationship with his executive assistant, a violation of parliamentary staffing rules.

While Boisvenu is said to have ended his relationship with Isabelle Lapointe, she is still listed as executive assistant and communications officer on the senator's web site.

Boisvenu is the third Conservative senator to pay back improper expense claims in recent weeks, following the lead of Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin.