An Alberta politician is calling for a review of MLA expenses after learning United Conservative Party (UCP) MLA Derek Fildebrandt had advertised his downtown Edmonton apartment, which was subsidized by taxpayers, on Airbnb.
“There is no question he broke the rules,” Alberta Party Leader Greg Clark said Thursday, arguing that MLA expenses should be put under the microscope.
WATCH BELOW: Greg Clark responds to Derek Fildebrandt AirBNB controversy
“You ask any accountant, you ask anyone: actual costs are expenditures less revenue. If he got revenue for renting it out, then his actual costs are lower. It sure sounds like he has double-dipped.”
“I can assure you if the NDP had done this, Derek Fildebrandt – finance critic – would have set his hair on fire.”
LISTEN: Greg Clark on the Derek Fildebrandt Airbnb scandal
In a statement Thursday, Clark also called on Fildebrandt to release any records he may have that relate to the rental of his apartment.
“Given that he was playing fast and loose with the rules, I’m not sure I trust that the amount of money he’s claiming is in fact accurate,” he said.
WATCH BELOW: Derek Fildebrandt responds to home rental controversy
Legislative documents reveal Fildebrandt claimed $7,720 in accommodation expenses between Jan. 1 and March 31. In a statement Thursday morning, he said he earned $2,555 over eight months, or an average of $319.38 a month.
“I’d be happy to donate it in full to paying down the provincial debt,” the former Wildrose MLA said.
Brian Jean, who was leader of the Wildrose Party during the time Fildebrandt filed the expenses, has declined to comment, saying only that this is an issue for the speaker’s office and interim leader to investigate.
LISTEN: Brian Jean on Derek Fildebrandt Airbnb scandal and his UCP campaign
Jean, who is now a leadership candidate for the UCP, said he is focused on his campaign.
Jean said he learned Fildebrandt had listed his apartment on Airbnb “on Twitter, the same way most Albertans did.”
In his statement Thursday morning, Fildebrandt raised questions about the timing of the report.
“I hope that my stance two days ago concerning the UCP Leadership race in no way influenced the timing of this story being released the following day,” he said.
The interim director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, an organization that Fildebrandt used to be a part of as the national research director and later Alberta director, has also spoken out against Fildebrandt’s actions calling them “wrong.” However, Colin Craig said it doesn’t appear any rules were broken.
WATCH BELOW: Political analyst Duane Bratt on Derek Fildebrandt’s home rental controversy
“These rules do need to be tightened up, but it’s not just the cost of living expense rules, it’s also things like how they expense their mileage, their gas receipts,” Craig said. “They can expense it when they get their cars detailed, there’s a lot of things that could be cleaned up in terms of expenses that MLAs are allowed to put forward.”
Craig said he’s encouraged that Fildebrandt offered to donate the money to paying down the provincial debt, but said it’s ultimately his constituents who will decide if he’s “addressed the situation well enough.”
“That’s a positive first step, but really what we need to see is for the overall rules to be reviewed and changed and updated. Give the public an opportunity to weigh in so they can share their thoughts on this and make it so that it’s more fair for taxpayers.”
WATCH BELOW: Fildebrandt’s Airbnb scandal has led to calls to take a closer look at the rules. Fletcher Kent has more.
UCP leadership candidate Jason Kenney also suggested the rules need to be changed and said Fildebrandt is “doing the right thing” by paying back the revenue he received from renting the apartment.
“I think, at the very least, it optically looks bad and that’s why he’s paying it back and I think he’s doing the right thing in doing so,” he said.
LISTEN: Jason Kenney on running for the UCP leadership and the Derek Fildebrandt Airbnb scandal
But Clark said the fact that Fildebrandt has offered to pay back the cash is akin to an Alberta driver leaving a gas station without paying and then saying, “If I get caught, I’ll pay for my gas.”
“Ethics is what you do when no one is watching,” he said.
He said he believes the speaker should look into Fildebrandt’s expenses, but also investigate whether any other MLAs may be bending the rules.
“It astounds me that people who are elected officials of any kind, but especially those that are elected on a fiscal platform, would somehow try to play the system to their own personal benefit,” he said.
“Especially when you’ve got someone like Derek Fildebrandt, who made his career on being a champion of fiscal discipline, then turns around and does something like this…I think Albertans are right to be upset.”
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