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It was an embarrassing retreat for Elmore, who had spoken in the legislature at the time last November about the difficulty of living on so little.

“I advised my family of this on the weekend, and my mother asked if she could bake some cookies for me to help me through the week, but that’s not allowed,” she told the legislature on the first day of her challenge on Nov. 1, 2017. “You can’t accept any charity or any other provisions beyond your budget … I think it’s going to be a challenge, but certainly, I’m committed to really having that insight into the experience and the hardship of people living in deep poverty and, really, the depths of poverty — to understand that.”

Elmore said Wednesday that her staff automatically claimed her meal per diem, which is allowed as part of a capital city living allowance available to cover rent, food and living costs for MLAs in Victoria. Elmore also signed off on the expenses personally.

The controversy highlights past criticism of the MLA meal allowances, which are tax-free, require no receipts and no proof that the money was actually used for food. Elmore didn’t say whether she spent the money on food during the challenge or simply kept the per diem as cash.

The Canada Revenue Agency recently ruled that it will consider the $1,000 cash housing allowance paid to MLAs in Victoria as a taxable benefit on top of the base MLA salary of $108,105. As parliamentary secretary, Elmore makes an additional $15,216 a year.

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