Trudeau Liberals reject calls to itemize Governor General’s extravagant spending

The Canadian Press / Adrian Wyld

• By Tamara Ugolini

PETITION: Stop The Pay Hike

Canadian Members of Parliament will get a pay raise on April 1st, which is the same day that the government will hike the Carbon Tax. Sign our petition calling on Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to Stop The Pay Hike!

10,628 signatures
Goal: 15,000 Signatures

Optional email code

First Name

Last Name

Email

Mobile Phone

Send me email updates

Send me text message updates

Phone

Address (Street, City, State, Postal Code)

Country AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, the Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorth Macedonia, Republic ofNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet NamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland Islands

Secure

The Trudeau Liberals are rejecting calls from Opposition parties to itemize the Governor General’s recent splurging at the expense of taxpayers. Spending at Rideau Hall jumped 11% last year to $37.6 million, reported Blacklock’s Reporter.

“The Governor General has a mandate to travel internationally to advance Canada’s interests and priorities,” wrote high-ranking Liberal MPs in a letter to the Commons government operations committee. 

They penned that Ottawa “seeks to continually review and improve its current practices” to deliver “better value” for taxpayers.

Public outcry intensified after MPs uncovered a $1.17 million bill for a 2022 junket to Dubai. Costs of inflight catering totalled $93,118 for Beef Wellington, fresh salmon and gourmet cakes with fine wine.

The committee in a report last October 4 recommended Rideau Hall report quarterly on travel costs and “publish an annual report on its activities including its financial statements” with itemized costs. Cabinet rejected the proposal without comment.

The report Travel Expenditures Related To The Office Of The Governor General urged Rideau Hall to cut travel delegations by half, cease the use of government jets, and limit “menu choices” for inflight catering. 

Governor General Mary Simon in 2021 billed $801,418 to attend the Frankfurt Book Fair accompanied by 32 guests including two official photographers. Expenses included a $19,794 banquet for “prominent Frankfurt Book Fair attendees” in Germany. 

MPs also uncovered that Simon billed Canadians $71,000 for limousine rides in Iceland and $37,000 for a new wardrobe including silk jackets and $380 shoes. She expensed those purchases to taxpayers in spite of her $324,173 annual salary. 

“Forty thousand dollars’ worth of clothes and a $324,000 a year salary? I think you can afford clothes,” Bloc Québécois MP Julie Vignola earlier told the committee.

Conservative MPs in a Supplementary Opinion called the spending by Rideau Hall unjustifiable. “This type of lavish spending erodes the trust of Canadians in the Office of the Governor General,” it said.

“The Governor General has shown a lack of respect for taxpayers, the Canadians she is meant to represent,” said Conservative MP Kelly Block. “The job for which she has been tasked has become a means to expense an extravagant lifestyle.”

As of writing, no MP has defended Simon’s splurging for official government business or otherwise.