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"While voters can tell members that my five-year-old son came to many doorsteps, he also had to eat, play and go to sleep at a reasonable hour. I had to keep campaigning."
"Elections Canada has very clear-cut rules and definitions of what can and cannot constitute a personal campaign expense. All campaigns, including my campaign, need to follow those definitions."
Eve Adams, MP for Mississauga-Brampton South

There we go; she knows the rules. She is a public figure but she knows what constitutes private expenses. There are clear-cut rules that define how to identify personal expenses during an election campaign. And she is aware of them. And presumably respects them, at least in theory. During the last federal campaign that took place in 2011 there were eight visits to the Davinci Salon and Spa and New Nails and Spa by this fastidious appearance-savvy MP.

Electioneering is not all knocking at doors and introducing oneself. One must also be presentable when so doing. And to ensure that this is the case, constant visits to hair salons are advised to ensure maximum presentability.  It's all every well and good to support a social agenda, to promise prospective voters that their very own best interests are at the heart of a candidate's wish to become embroiled in public service. But an attractive package is immensely persuasive.

Evidently Eve Adams's biggest selling feature is her physical appearance. Young, attractive, a mother of a young boy, and a duly elected Member of Parliament. My goodness gracious. With that parliamentary title should come some measure of respect. Her name alone should raise a certain level of respect, reflecting the original names of the two people who started the whole journey of humankind, according to the Old Testament.

But there's nothing particularly old-fashioned or antique about this modern-day aspirant to public office. She appeals to followers through Twitter. Some of her expense claims were related to the well-being of her campaign staff, and that should be recognized. "Toothpaste and mouth-wash are for the dozens of volunteers who literally (live) in campaign office", she tweeted. "(We) even bought soap for campaign office bathroom for people to wash their hands after 16+ hour days. Go figure!"

Yes, go figure. Pencil and eraser in hand put together the figures. $1,857 for childcare. Check. $491 from Brampton-area beauty salons. Check. $260 for makeup from Shoppers Drug Mart. Cheque? Well, it's not a whole lot of money; rather it's in the realm of niggling expenses, not amounting to all that much. Eligible for a 60% tax-funded reimbursement through Elections Canada.

Under the rules, which MP Eve Adams indicates she is aware and respectful of, MPs may claim special childcare expenses, incurred during an election campaign, and miscellaneous personal expenses to a limit of $200 which also are held to be incurred because of an election campaign. There was an additional election expense of $201 representing a victory party several weeks following the election. It was withdrawn, along with over $6,000 in claims this particular campaign had second thoughts about claiming.

Asked via her Twitter account about items such as facial toner, designer shampoo and mascara billed to the campaign, MP Adams deigned not to respond. One can imagine why; life is so unfair, people draw such incorrect conclusions, go figure.