Good catch by Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition here in B.C., as the NDP rolled out some details on what former BC Liberal cabinet minister is costing taxpayers as B.C.’s Asian trade commissioner. From the Sun:

Stewart spent a total of 98 days in Asia between starting his job and June 1, 2014, according records obtained by the NDP under Freedom of Information. During the same period he spent 117 days in Kelowna, Vancouver or Victoria.

“He doesn’t look like he really wants to do the job,” said NDP critic Bruce Ralston. “He looks like he’s based here, and he travels there to do the work.”

Stewart receives a $6,000 monthly allowance for accommodation in Beijing’s business district, a $2,850 monthly car allowance and $150,000 annual salary as trade commissioner. His family owns Quails’ Gate Winery in Kelowna.

“It sounds like a waste of money,” said Ralston.

The government says Stewart is also responsible for touring Asian investors around B.C., but no specifics of those trips were released. And don’t we have a few million British Columbians kicking around who could help with that?

I’ll go with Bruce on this one: it sounds like a waste of money.

Stewart, of course, stepped aside days after winning re-election last year so Premier Christy Clark could run in the uber-safe West Kelowna riding. So there’s that political patronage undertone to the whole story as well.

I did have a bit of a snicker at this comment: “It sounds like a waste of money,” said Ralston. “If he’s only there sporadically, why not stay in a hotel?”

Isn’t that precisely the argument cost savers like us use to suggest government scrap MLAs’ Victoria housing allowances and put them up in hotels instead? A Vancouver Sun report indicates MLAs would need to be in Victoria 95 days a year to make a housing allowance more cost effective than a hotel. It’s been years and years since MLAs have been in Victoria 95 days.

If MLAs are only there sporadically, why not stay in a hotel?

Pot, kettle, black.