Hudak denies approving MPP’S housing allowance

Leader rejects finance critic claim

TORONTO Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak firmly denied Monday that he had approved a controversial housing allowance claimed by his finance critic, who was fired after refusing to pay the money back.

Toronto-area MPP Peter Shurman said last week that Hudak approved his claim for $20,719 last year to subsidize his Toronto apartment after he moved to Niagara-on-theLake.

“Did I approve these expenses? No,” the Opposition leader said. “Was I aware he was billing all these expenses to the taxpayers? No.”

When Shurman refused to pay back the money, Hudak said he fired him as the Tory finance critic.

“He said no, he made his decision,” Hudak said of his Sunday talk with Shurman. “I made my decision. He’s no longer finance critic.”

Shurman was exiled to the Opposition backbenches Monday and refused to answer questions from reporters after question period.

Hudak acknowledged that Shurman was within his rights as an MPP to take the money, but said elected officials are held to a higher standard even when they follow the rules.

Shurman, who represents the riding of Thornhill, just north of Toronto, has apologized for suggesting he needed to make the claim because his salary — about $116,000 last year — wasn’t a lot of money. He said he won’t bill taxpayers for his apartment any more.

The governing Liberals — who were the targets of Shurman’s frequent attacks about the abuse of taxpayer dollars — and the New Democrats have accused him of exploiting a loophole in the rules. Shurman’s decision to take the money has undermined his party’s credibility on fiscal issues, they said.

“I think this kind of thing is the kind of thing that raises eyebrows with folks, and that’s something that the Conservatives are going to have to deal with,” said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

Members of all three parties can claim the housing expense if their primary residence, which doesn’t have to be in their riding, is more than 50 kilometres from the legislature in Toronto.

MICHELLE SIU/THE CANADIAN PRESS Peter Shurman, Progressive Conservative MPP for Thornhill, was fired from his job as party finance critic by leader Tim Hudak.