The Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon, spent nearly $700,000 on her very first trip, a four-day stay in Germany in October 2021.
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This is what we learn in documents put before Parliament today in response to a question from Bloc Québécois MP Julie Vignola.
“Nearly $700,000 in public money for a four-day trip is just insane. While the population is tightening its belts to deal with inflation, the governor-general, whose function is from another century, is wasting public money,” complained Ms. Vignola.
Mary Simon traveled to Berlin and Frankfurt from October 17-21, 2021 to strengthen bilateral relations between Canada and Germany and to attend the Frankfurt Book Fair, where Canada was Guest of Honour. The King’s representative was then less than three months in office, having been sworn in on July 26, 2021.
The very long list presented to Parliament totals $679,306 in spending, including $75,903.83 on hotel rooms alone at the most luxurious properties on the route: the Ritz Carlton in Berlin, the Hilton in Frankfurt and St James in London.
Also, $24,158.15 was spent on a reception in Frankfurt and $19,794.10 on a dinner hosted by the Canadian Ambassador to Germany.
These new expenses from the governor-general come on top of the staggering expenses she made during her stay in the Middle East a year ago: $80,000 just on meals served to her and her 29 guests in flight, including nearly $1,000 Dollars for lime slices and just lemons.
“The governor-general’s wanderlust has to stop. The position of the Bloc Québécois is clear: we must abolish this archaic function, the cost of which far outweighs its benefits,” explained Ms. Vignola, adding that the monarch’s representative also benefited from a $40,000 salary increase.
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