Travel costs pushed northern B.C.'s MPs - and their provincial counterparts - to take the top spots as the biggest spenders so far this year.
The Parliament of Canada released the expenditure report for the first quarter of the fiscal year, covering a three-month period from April to the end of June.
During that time, northern B.C.'s three MPs appeared in the top 25 for both travel costs and total expenditures out of the 338 representatives.
Cariboo Prince George MP Todd Doherty spent $48,686 out of $113,833 on travel, to put him fourth highest in that category. And, between January and June, Doherty spent the second highest on travel, behind only interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose, according to a National Post analysis of expenses in that time period.
Nathan Cullen of Skeena-Bulkley Valley was close behind Doherty in travel costs, claiming $43,604 on travel out of his $111,208 total.
Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies MP Bob Zimmer tallied up $38,861 in travel out of $110,490. Almost 60 MPs spent more than $100,000 over the three months.
"We know that western MPs have the longest and most costly travel. Time and again, it's the same thing," said Doherty.
B.C. and Alberta MPs accounted for all but three of the top 20 travel expenses. The others lived in Saskatchewan and one was from Manitoba.
During the campaign, Doherty said he heard from constituents that they wanted a representative who returned to the riding. The riding's former longtime MP Dick Harris, who also had a home in the Okanagan, had been criticized as an absentee representative.
"I campaigned on being present and visible. I come home every Friday, I'm in our riding every Saturday and then I go back to Ottawa every Sunday," said Doherty, which can make for long travel days to begin and end the week. "I think people are seeing their MP a lot more. They're seeing me at events where traditionally there hasn't been an MP previously."
But Doherty said he has the same energy as the day he was voted into office.
"It's what we sign up for."
A big chunk of those travel expenses are so that his wife Kelly can come with him under the parliamentary spouses program, which Doherty praised.
"Western MPs have the highest rate of divorce," said Doherty, who claimed $12,364 for a "designated traveller" and $1,667 for dependents. "Knowing that when I put my name forward, you realize that there are sacrifices that we have to make, but I'm not working on another marriage and it's very important that my family and my wife are part of this experience."
The bulk of Doherty's costs were employee salaries - $55,812 - with only $8 assigned to constituency leases. That line item will increase next quarter when a backdated lease for his space in the office shared with Zimmer kicks in for $600 month. Doherty has yet to set up offices in Williams Lake or Quesnel, so his costs may go up again.
