Canada’s Governor-General Mary Simon spent nearly $100,000 catering for her and her 29 guests during an eight-day tour of the Middle East in March, according to documents filed at the house earlier this week.
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The sum of US$93,117.89 was spent aboard the Royal Canadian Air Force Airbus CC-150 Polaris, which transported the delegation from March 16-24 during visits to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait , according to information first released by the National Post.
By way of comparison, Prime Minister Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Freeland, accompanied by 58 guests, spent nearly $56,000 on meals during their six-day tour of Europe, also in March. It is therefore impossible to blame inflation for the rise in prices.
Photo from the Governor General of Canada Facebook page.
The Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon, visited the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait from March 17-23, 2022.
other expenses
The nearly $100,000 bill includes only the cost of meals. This does not include all other local costs incurred during the trip.
“If they had to pay more than $3,000 per person for in-flight meals and meals, taxpayers need to know how much was spent on hotel rooms and meals in Dubai,” said Franco Terrazzano of the Federation Canadian Taxpayers. The taxpayers are the ones who pay and we deserve to see the bills for what we paid for.”
The federation criticizes the fact that the governor-general’s spending is not proactively disclosed, as are those of ministers and the prime minister, a mechanism that enforces some restraint on the part of public office-holders.
Photo from the Governor General of Canada Facebook page.
Not his fault
But far from making a mea culpa or offering to deliver his expense reports, the Queen’s Representative’s office absolves itself of all responsibility, stating that “during these visits, the Canadian Forces are responsible for transportation and therefore for all decisions.” are responsible in relation to catering on those flights”.
Ms Simon’s spokeswoman, Josephine Laframboise, said that “the office of the secretary to the governor-general [n’est] not consulted or involved in these decisions”.
Ms Simon’s office did not reply to the journal but sent these statements to TVA.
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explanations requested
Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez believes Ms Simon needs an explanation.
“She’ll have questions to answer,” he said.
The Bloc Québécois intends to question them quickly. He will submit a motion to summon Ms. Simon before the Audit Committee as soon as possible.
“Very precious taxpayer money was casually spent by her and her court,” criticized MP Alain Therrien, who wants to make her understand the value of public money in the committee.
Photo from the Governor General of Canada Facebook page.
Useless feature
The bloc took the opportunity to reiterate that for years his party has been calling for the post of governor-general to be abolished, a remnant of a “useless” monarchy, he said.
“I don’t see any use for what she’s doing other than spending taxpayers’ money,” he said.
But Ms Simon’s office explains that “the governor-general is making official and state visits abroad at the request of the prime minister. These visits are intended to support Canada’s international diplomatic objectives.”
In March, she traveled to Expo 2020 Dubai, where she was the guest of honor. She also visited Kuwait and Qatar, where she met members of the Canadian Armed Forces.