Are you smarter than a Canadian senator?

I'm not the smartest person in the world. I mean I'm okay: I have a university degree, I'm well-read and Mrs. Wilson, my grade 7 teacher, once told me that I was 'too smart for my own good' — whatever that means.

But I'm no senator. I'm not one of the learned few, tapped by our nation's supreme leaders to serve in Canada's upper chamber.

So you'll have to excuse me for not understanding the confusion with regard to the term "primary residence."

According to Senate rules, "senators, whose primary residence is located more than 100 kilometres from the [National Capital Region], are entitled to a reimbursement of travel expenses, and a reimbursement of living expenses, while in the NCR for Senate business."

On Thursday, a series of Senate reports — developed after a Deloitte audit — found that Senators Mac Harb and Patrick Brazeau 'erroneously' claimed living allowances and expenses that they weren't entitled to.

Both senators, it appears, spent most of their time in Ottawa. Brazeau only spent 10 per cent of his time at his declared 'primary residence' in Maniwaki and Harb, according to the audit, only spent 21 percent of 549 days at his.

A third report indicated that Senator Mike Duffy spent only 30 per cent of his time at his primary residence identified as a home in Prince Edward Island.

Harb will be asked to pay back $51,500 while Brazeau owes $48,744. Duffy already paid back approximately $90,000.

[ Related: Senators ordered to repay housing and mileage expenses ]

Duffy released a statement reiterating a comment he made earlier this year asserting that there was a "lack of clarity in the Senate's rules." And, according to the Canadian Press, Harb intends to fight his penalty in court.

These two senators are buoyed by the Deloitte audit which suggested that the terminology in the Senate rules are a little confusing.

Again, I don't profess to be an Einstein, but maybe the terms weren't clearly defined because, umm, it's obvious what they mean.

To me a 'primary residence' is one where I spend the majority of my time. To me — and probably to a lot of Canadians — it's just common sense. And if Harb, Duffy and Brazeau really didn't understand the terms, could they not have asked for clarification?

[ Related: Read the Senate expense audits and reports ]

It's also interesting that only 3 out the 105 senators were asked to reimburse expenses. If the wording really was that confusing, wouldn't a few more senators have made the same mistake and be audited?

But hey, what I know? I, after all, am just a commoner who couldn't be nearly as smart as any our superior senators.

(Photo courtesy of Canadian Press)

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