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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington's travel expenses are higher than both his Northern counterparts, according to figures obtained by News/North.

Bevington, the NDP Transport Critic, returned Friday from a three-day trip to the International Transport Forum in Leipzig, Germany, where he gathered with government ministers and experts from 52 countries to discuss the role transportation plays in the global economy.

The cost of the trip won't come out of Bevington's member's budget, which he says is the highest of all Members of Parliament. This year, his budget is $354,000, which covers expenses such as his office, staff, advertising and additional travel.

"It's because of the huge size of the riding and also the higher cost," Bevington said. "It allows me to deal with those costs without hindering my ability to do other things."

For an MP from the Northwest Territories, it wouldn't be fair if we were on just a similar travel cost (budget) to MPs from other places," Bevington said. To level the playing field, MPs receive 64 "travel points" a year to share with their spouses, each good for the cost of one return trip anywhere in Canada.

For 2007 - 2008, Bevington's travel costs were highest of the Northern MPs at $188,558, compared to $160,546 for Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell and $126,001 for Yukon MP Larry Bagnell.

"It seems like a lot of money when you total it up, but that's the nature of the job. I'm glad that people recognize that we do need to travel and that your spouse can travel with you, which makes your life much better," he said.

"This is a tough job and it's one that can be really difficult on your family as well."

Bevington said he tries to save money by not booking airline tickets in business class.

"I don't book business travel. I may use the upgrade certificates I have to upgrade myself if I can, but I don't book them," he said.

"But we don't get many discount fares because a lot of times our plans change, so we have to be pretty careful about the kind of tickets we buy."

He returns home to his riding from Ottawa about three times a month.