Expense rules need independent enforcement

  • National Newswatch

Two more senators — one Tory, the other Liberal — appear to have been drawn into the Senate expenses scandal.Noel Kinsella, a Tory senator appointed by Brian Mulroney and now the upper chamber's speaker, and Pierrette Ringuette, a Liberal appointed by Jean Chretien, both represent New Brunswick. Both have lived in Ottawa for more than a decade, yet both claim to have primary residences in their home provinces so they can claim the Senate's $22,000-a-year housing allowance on their Ottawa residences.According to property records unearthed by canada.com, Kinsella bought a house a year before he was appointed to the Senate. Back then, he was a senior civil servant in the Foreign Affairs department.