OTTAWA – Conservative Senator Nancy Ruth shared her thoughts on the quality of cheeses aboard airplanes on Wednesday when asked about an auditor general’s investigation into Senate expenses.
On the heels of a report about the auditor general’s office asking dozens of current and former senators to account for some dubious expense claims, Nancy Ruth, who goes by her first two names, said the office has questions for every senator about the nature of Senate business.
In her case, it came down to dairy.
“There are a couple times that my assistant put in (receipts) for a breakfast when I was on a plane, and they say, I should have not claimed because I should have eaten that breakfast,” she told reporters.
“Well those breakfasts are pretty awful, if you want ice cold Camembert and broken crackers.”
Nancy Ruth said she’s “not particularly” worried about her expenses, but doesn’t think the auditor general’s office understands the nature of her work.
“I think Senate business is very broad. I’m a feminist activist so my angle on Canadian life is to look at gender-based analysis on policy and things like that. I don’t think the auditor general particularly considers that Senate business.”
She said most of the auditors’ follow-up questions were about meals on planes.
“Most of the questions are not very sophisticated, nor do they really have anything to do with Senate business. If I eat cold camembert and a soda cracker is that Senate business? Don’t ask,” she said.
“They’re really weird.”
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