Canada's only elected senator is its most expensive

The only elected person in the Senate, Bert Brown, is actually the country's most expensive senator.

Brown spent $331,000 on travel and other expenses in the last fiscal year, government documents say.

He spent nearly $180,000 in travel expenses and another $151,000 for "research assistance, staff and other expenses," according to the government's annual public account records.

Brown's officials tell CTV News that much of his expenses come from meeting mayors, premiers and officials across the county to sell them on the merits of an elected senate. He also has a constituency office in Calgary.

Brown, who was nominated to be a senator-in-waiting by the province of Alberta after winning a 2004 election, was appointed to the Red Chamber by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2007 to serve a six-year term.

Canada's senators spent $7.2 million on travel and about $13.2 million on research, staff and other expenses in the fiscal year between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011.

With files from CTV's Richard Madan