A New Brunswick MP should reimburse taxpayers if he can't justify $18,000 in travel expenses he's incurred since entering cabinet, says a government watchdog.

Veteran Affairs Minister Greg Thompson's expense records show that he took several chartered flights to Ottawa and various locations in the Maritimes from his riding in New Brunswick Southwest between March 23 and April 18.

The flights ranged in price, from $1,575 for a return trip from St. Stephen to Moncton, to $8,600 for a two-person trip to Ottawa.

Democracy Watch co-ordinator Duff Conacher said the number of flights Thompson has chartered should have the federal government investigating whether he is managing his travel budget effectively.

"It's a question as to the overall efficiency of the office if they are having to charter flights," Conacher said.

"Maybe they're not scheduling the minister properly," he added. "If [it] can be shown that the charter flights were not absolutely necessary, [Thompson] should have to reimburse the public and taxpayers."

The Tory cabinet minister lives an hour away from the nearest major airport in New Brunswick, and his director of communications said commercial flights often do not suit the minister's hectic schedule.

"He does drive a lot also," said Gerald Lefebvre, "[but] the chartered flight is the best way to attend those meetings."