“I don’t even know what the meal orders are. But I do know one thing – our meals are not too extravagant on these trips. They are almost like airline meals and the way they were portrayed in the media was pretty unfair, I thought ,” Simon said in an interview on CBC’s The House that aired Saturday. The National Post first reported the cost of the Governor General’s trip, during which she spent time in London, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait. The Department of National Defense (DND), which is responsible for organizing catering on official diplomatic flights, said the total cost of catering for the eight-day trip was about $80,000. Simon told host Catherine Cullen her office shares Canadians’ concerns about the cost of travel and is working with Global Affairs Canada and DND to reduce costs in the future. CBC News: House Governor General 15:10 discusses Russian aggression and criticism of her travel spending Governor General Mary Simon sits down with host Catherine Cullen to discuss the challenges facing the Arctic and why traveling to international gatherings is essential to her job. Last month, Stewart Wheeler, who serves as Canada’s chief of protocol at Global Affairs Canada, said some elements of the flights were “problematic.” MPs expressed confusion over the costs, and conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus said he wanted to know if there were “exaggerations”. Christine MacIntyre, deputy secretary to the Governor-General, told MPs Rideau Hall was also surprised and concerned about the cost. “The cost was really shocking to all of us,” he said. “We had eggs. We had scrambled eggs.” In a statement to CBC News, DND said an interagency working group is being formed to draft measures “with the aim of pursuing the best possible value going forward.” The department said catering costs are affected by everything from exchange rates and the location of stops to the number and type of caterers available. Simon told The House that her international trip was under the Prime Minister’s direction. “I don’t just pack my suitcase and travel wherever I want,” he said. “Every trip must be planned very carefully. The objectives of the trip must be very clear.”
Travel a necessary part of the job: Simon
Simon said she expected a new parliamentary committee meeting on the issue and hoped MPs could “continue to clear up what the misunderstanding is”. “I think people need to understand that, firstly, I don’t take my job lightly, and secondly, I’d like to do it in the most conservative way I can. But the amount of travel we do is huge and it’s a necessary part of the job,” he said. Simon said she had no role in the logistics of planning the trip, but was focused on the purpose of her trip. WATCHES | Governor General Mary Simon refers to travel expenses:
Governor General Mary Simon responds to controversy over the price of her trip to the Middle East earlier this year.
Governor General Mary Simon responds to controversy over the price of her trip to the Middle East earlier this year. “I’m involved in discussions about world peace and Canada’s role in world peace. And going to different countries to talk with our partners about how we can work together to advance our position on world peace is very important for Canada, as well as the world,” he said. “So I take this responsibility very seriously.” The Governor-General spoke to The House from Reykjavik, Iceland, where she was attending the Arctic Circle Assembly, a gathering to discuss issues and challenges in the Arctic.
GG embraces a multifaceted role
Simon said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine poses a significant risk to cooperation and progress in the Arctic. The Arctic Council, the top intergovernmental forum for the region, is largely on hiatus because of Russia’s presidency. Russia’s invasion poses a “danger to the world,” Simon said. Simon is Canada’s first Indigenous Governor General. He was born in Kangiqsualujjuaq in northern Quebec. Governor General Mary Simon enters the Qarmaapik Family House on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Que. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) “We have always understood among ourselves in the Arctic region that this is our homeland and it must remain our homeland,” he said. Simon also noted that while the Arctic is certainly considered a strategic region, it is also important to recognize that for those who live there, peaceful cooperation and development is important. Simon, who has long worked on Arctic issues, said cooperation in the region has come a long way in recent decades and has embraced a greater acceptance of the role indigenous peoples play. “You know you can see that change, but the change has to be embraced in a way where we don’t just talk about the role of people, but we actually involve them in the discussions and the decision-making process of how the Arctic is affected by different issues “, he said. While he said she remains apolitical, Simon added that she can use her “convening power” to instigate talks with the prime minister and others to share her advice. Simon said she was guided by her origins as a North-Easterner, her role as Governor-General and her commitment to tackling reconciliation, describing her role as “multi-layered”. “I’m very involved in this job and I stay very focused on my mandate, but my past always guides me.”
