NDP’s Ashton Pays Back Some Money From Christmas Trip Initially Billed to Taxpayers

OTTAWA—A New Democrat member of Parliament has paid back a portion of the thousands of dollars she spent on a Christmastime trip for herself and her family that was paid for with public money. The federal New Democrats said Manitoba MP Niki Ashton reimbursed the House of Commons administration for $2,900, part of the more than $17,000 in costs she incurred during a Christmas Day trip to Quebec City followed by a visit to Montreal. Public expenses show Ashton, her husband, and two children flew from her northern Manitoba riding to Ottawa on Dec. 21, 2022. A day earlier, her Ottawa apartment was sprayed for bedbugs, which led her and her family to travel to the capital to deal with that “urgent” situation, Ashton said in a statement....