Governor-General Mary Simon’s limousine service during a four-day mission to Iceland last fall cost taxpayers $71,000, even though her hotel was an eight-minute walk from the summit she was attending.
“The governor-general spent more on luxury travel in four days than the average Canadian makes in a year,” according to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), which released the information.
“We’re not saying the governor-general should be hitchhiking, but she certainly could have gotten to a small island for less than the price of a shiny new BMW,” added Franco Terrazzano, FCC director.
- Listen to Alexandre Moranville’s interview with Nicolas Gagnon, Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation in Quebec QUB radio :
Small trip, big bill
Ms Simon visited the Icelandic capital Reykjavik from October 12-15 to attend the Arctic Circle Assembly, an annual conference focused on the future and issues related to the Arctic, including climate change.
The distance between Hotel Borg, where the governor-general was staying, and the Harpa complex, the venue, is about 650 meters on foot, which is an eight-minute walk, Google Maps estimates. By car, the 1.7-kilometer journey takes about 6 minutes.
Overall, the trip cost the public purse at least $298,000, including hotel and other entertainment expenses. The limousine cost alone accounts for nearly a quarter (23%) of that amount.
According to Statistics Canada, the average annual income for a Quebecer in 2021 was $51,200.
- Listen to the chronicle of Alexandre Moranville on the microphone of Jean-François Baril QUB radio :
The opposition is screaming to the max
“While performing the governor-general’s duties has a necessary cost, taxpayers cannot be held responsible for paying excessive expenses like this,” said Conservative Ethics spokesman Michael Barret.
Block member Rhéal Éloi Fortin finds the amount “really scandalous” and advocates that Quebec “get rid of this archaic and wasteful monarchy”.
“How can we spend the equivalent of a Quebec household’s median income in four days out of that household’s pockets and just on limousine expenses!” he adds.
And it goes on
The voyages of Canadian governors-general always grab the headlines because of their pomp and the exorbitant bills that come with them.
A Mary Simon trip to the Middle East in June 2022 sparked a scandal when it was revealed that the 30-strong delegation wasted more than $333 per person per meal, for a total of $80,000 over eight meals , who served aboard Royal Canadian Air Force’s Airbus CC-150 Polaris. The lemon slices alone had cost nearly $1,000.
For example, another trip to the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2021, where Canada was Guest of Honor, yielded a bill for $700,000.