Rideau Hall has issued a statement saying Gov. Gen. Mary Simon “shares the public’s concern” about a $93,000 catering bill racked up by her delegation on a government plane during a work trip to the Middle East.
“The Governor General shares the public’s concern in regards to expenses and looks forward to further clarity from responsible departments,” Dufresne said, citing the Department of National Defence and Global Affairs Canada as examples.
“The Governor General undertakes official and state visits abroad only on request by the Prime Minister, and in support of Canada’s international diplomatic objectives.”
The March trip was made at the request of the prime minister to strengthen Canadian relations with Middle Eastern countries by having meetings with the heads of state, senior leaders, and Canada’s ambassadors. Simon was also a guest of honour at Canada’s National Day at the expo in Dubai and met with Canadian Forces members in Kuwait and Qatar.
The expenses came to light following an order paper question by Conservative MP Michael Barrett, regarding the price tag for eight days of travel for Simon and her delegation aboard a Royal Canadian Air Force plane.
According to the answer issued to Barrett, the $93,117.89 bill covers the “cost of food, non-alcoholic beverages and associated fees, including catering handling and delivery, storage, cleaning and disposal of international waste, airport taxes, administrative fees, security charges, and local taxes.”
Simon, her staff, Global Affairs employees, and Canadian delegates numbered 30, though RCMP officers and air crew members may also have eaten on the flights.
The delegation left Ottawa on March 16, stopped in London to pick up Simon following an audience with Queen Elizabeth II, then continued to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait. After another stop in London, the plane landed in Ottawa and later parked at the military base in Trenton, Ontario.
This was Simon’s second trip abroad since being appointed as the Queen’s representative to Canada in July 2021.
Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation told the Epoch Times he wants more details about the expenses.
“Racking up a nearly six-figure tab on in-flight catering is a huge waste of money and shows contempt for taxpayers’ hard-earned money. Taxpayers have every right to feel disrespected when they find out $3,100 per person was spent on in-flight catering,” Terrazzano said.
“If they spent thousands of dollars each on in-flight catering, then taxpayers need to see how much they spent on hotels and food while on the ground in the Middle East. Taxpayers are paying the bill and we deserve to see the full and complete receipts.”
Terrazzano sees the spending revelation as another example of a concerning pattern of “waste” at Rideau Hall.
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly failed to clean up the waste at Rideau Hall. This huge waste of money shows it’s long past time for the government to stick up for taxpayers and end the office of the governor general’s frivolous spending.”
