Senator of the week:  Senator Nick Sibbeston - most expensive overall

Senator Nick Sibbeston has a tip for Canadian families struggling to cut costs in this recession: don’t bother.

Sibbeston has spent more than any other Senator -- dropping nearly $330,000 on travel and office expenses in the last fiscal year. In fact, the Liberal Senator, incredibly, managed to spend $42,699 more than the average MP did for their office budget in the same period.

And even though travel costs to the Northwest Territories are high, Sibbeston still spent $22,600 more than the average of the MPs who represent the three territorial ridings – all this, presumably to visit the constituency office the Senator doesn’t have and the constituents who never elected him.

Runners-up for the most expensive Senator include Liberals Terry Mercer, Mobina Jaffer, party fundraiser Rod Zimmer as well as Conservative David Tkachuk, all of whom spent more than the average MP’s office budget.

“Senator of the Week” is a project by New Democrats to highlight the dubious achievements of Canada’s 105 unelected and unaccountable Senators.

Stephen Harper once vowed he “will not name appointed people to the Senate.” Yet as Prime Minister he has broken that promise – 29 times and counting. As a result, Canadians are paying 220 percent more for Senators that Harper once called “a relic of the 19th century.”