Canada's Chief Science Advisor has billed taxpayers more than $415,000 in travel expenses since taking the job, including a dozen business-class flights to Paris and luxury hotel stays costing hundreds of dollars a night.

According to records obtained through Access to Information by Blacklock's Reporter, Chief Science Advisor Mona Nemer has accumulated $415,835 in travel expenses since being appointed in 2017. Within just two months of taking the position, Nemer billed taxpayers nearly $19,000 for travel across Canada and the United States, including a $10,433 business-class trip to Paris.

DOCUMENTS: Expense claims by @ChiefSciCan worth $416K include 12 business-class junkets to Paris. Appointee had testified she couldnt recall: "What exactly are Canadian taxpayers paying you to do?"  https://t.co/nmkq2djLsX #cdnpoli @VincentNeilHo pic.twitter.com/GwuS1VzOPI

— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) June 17, 2026

The records show Nemer took 12 trips to Paris, ten to Washington, five to Tokyo, five to London and three to Brussels. One business-class trip to Stockholm and Madrid cost taxpayers more than $10,000.

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Nemer defended the spending during testimony before the House of Commons science committee last November, describing the travel as "science diplomacy."

"I do quite a bit of outreach in my position," Nemer told MPs. "It's people helping each other to advance science."

🚨 SHOCKING: The Liberals are paying nearly $400,000 a year for a “chief science advisor” who runs no agency, makes no regulatory decisions, publishes no performance audits and can’t point to a single concrete result for taxpayers beyond saying she “gave advice” last week. pic.twitter.com/s80s72tMHt

— Vincent Neil Ho (@vincentneilho) December 2, 2025

But Conservative MPs questioned what taxpayers are receiving in return.

"What exactly are Canadian taxpayers paying you to do?" asked Conservative MP Vincent Ho.

"What the Canadian public is paying for is an independent advisor who is functioning in a transparent and trustworthy manner," Nemer replied.

🚨 SHOCKING: The Liberal-Appointed chief science adviser couldn’t point to one clear win for taxpayers when pressed on what her advice actually did—no metric, no outcome, just a shrug wrapped in bureaucratic jargon.

And while they dodge basic performance questions, a key federal… pic.twitter.com/AEsydsmMTk

— Vincent Neil Ho (@vincentneilho) December 3, 2025

When asked whether she flew business class, Nemer initially declined to answer directly.

"My travel is according to Government of Canada directives," she said.

Pressed repeatedly by Conservative MP Jagsharan Singh Mahal on whether the flights were economy or business class, Nemer responded: "It's unimportant. I don't remember."

The newly released records appear to answer that question, showing multiple business-class international flights, including the dozen trips to Paris.

The National Research Council should be focused on excellence, commercialization, productivity, and real-world innovation.

But under this Liberal government, federal research is being dragged into top-down DEI rules.

When funding is tied to identity targets, excellence becomes… pic.twitter.com/ef6rdvVHEy

— Vincent Neil Ho (@vincentneilho) June 16, 2026

The spending extended beyond airfare. Hotel bills included stays at Vancouver's Hotel Blu costing $526 per night, Geneva's Hotel Auteuil Manotel at $577 per night and Madrid's Hotel Miguel Angel at $815 per night.