No fiscal responsibility: Canada’s Governor General spends like royalty

Mary Simon's spending as Canadians struggle with inflation and ever-increasing interest hikes serves as an example of an increasingly out-of-touch government.

No fiscal responsibility: Canada’s Governor General spends like royalty
The Canadian Press / Justin Tang
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Excessive government spending has reached national news as its been discovered Governor General Mary Simon partakes in luxurious excursions and engagements.

Most recently, it has been revealed that the governor general billed taxpayers $71,000 in limo fees for a four day excursion to Iceland in 2022.

The discovery was part of internal government records and receipts obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) through an access to information request.

“The governor general spent more on fancy rides in four days than the average Canadian makes in a whole year,” said Franco Terrazzano, federal director of the CTF.

According to the CTF, the trip cost Canadian taxpayers at least $298,000.

This seems like pennies after travel expenses incurred by Governor General Simon for a four-day trip to the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2021 cost Canadian taxpayers over $700,000.

In-flight catering costs were over $100,000, according to documents provided through an order paper question, as detailed by the National Post. This included 98 breakfasts, 325 lunches and 107 dinners for passengers and flight crew.

“The cost breakdowns show over $50,000 of public funds spent hosting several receptions and banquets, as well as more than $45,000 in hotel bills,” the article reads.

This “guest of honour” sponsorship trip cost Canadians more than $18 million, as reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, who estimated Simon’s personal appearance to be closer to $800,000.

The National Post further broke down transportation and accommodation costs, which included over $50,000 for receptions and banquets, an additional $45,000 in hotel bills and nearly $100,000 on fuel and ground transportation for 19 air crew members.

The basis of the endeavour was to promote “the sale of Canadian titles” but Simon’s trip prioritized equity, diversity and inclusion.

“Our story is not just about ‘him’ or ‘her,’” Simon is quoted as saying. “It’s also about ‘they’ and ‘them.’ It is open to all ways of seeing, to every means of expression.”

Upon her installation as governor general in 2021, Simon said that she would “make reconciliation, mental health, nature and the environment, climate change, education, youth, and diversity and inclusion priorities.”

Lavish spending on limousines, exquisite meals, fuel and ground transportation seem like a slap in the face to everyday Canadians struggling to feed their families.

The hypocrisy is on full display as the governor general — a representative of the King in Canada’s constitutional monarchy, with a constitutional duty to uphold responsible governance — is wining and dining like royalty while Canadians suffer the consequences of an increasingly bloated bureaucracy.

Part of Simon's mandate is to ensure that Canadians remain confident in their prime minister and government.

Yet Canadians cannot afford the policies put forward by this government, which continues to spend, spend, spend; as though handing out billions abroad, luxurious spending, and ballooning interest rates are of no consequence.

The CTF has previously called on Parliament to cut unnecessary spending and international travel costs, asking "how many people were lifted out of poverty because Trudeau and a band of bureaucrats stayed in a fancy hotel in Manhattan?"

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