Harper shouldn’t have vouched for Wallin’s expense claims, Liberals say

OTTAWA – The federal Liberals say Prime Minister Stephen Harper exercised poor judgment when he vouched for Sen. Pamela Wallin’s expense claims earlier this year.

Liberal MP Stephane Dion and Sen. James Cowan, the party’s leader in the Senate, say it’s just part of an ongoing pattern of dubious decisions on the part of the prime minister.

Harper told the House of Commons in February he had personally looked at Wallin’s travel costs, calling them comparable to other parliamentarians travelling between Ottawa and Saskatchewan.

On Tuesday, the Senate called in the RCMP after an audit flagged a host of inappropriate travel claims dating back to Wallin’s earliest days in the upper chamber.

The auditors flagged $121,348 in inappropriate expenses and called for further review of nearly $21,000 in additional claims.

Wallin has already repaid $38,000, and has since promised to reimburse any disallowed expenses — with interest — out of her own pocket.