Governor General Flew Nearly 3,000 Km for 6 Minutes’ Work: Federal Records

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon delivers the throne speech in the Senate in Ottawa on Nov. 23, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon used the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) for a nearly 3,000-kilometre flight so she could attend a six-minute ceremony last summer, federal records show.

The mileage was disclosed in an Inquiry of Ministry tabled in the House of Commons and reviewed by Blacklock’s Reporter.

According to the media outlet, flight crews ferried Simon back and forth between Ottawa and Halifax last August with expenses totalling $12,589, but which excluded the actual cost of aviation fuel and flight crews.

The Inquiry said Simon flew from Ottawa to Halifax on Aug. 23, 2022, for opening ceremonies of a Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. Travelling along with her were an official photographer and five aides.

Following her appearance at the conference, the Governor General remained in the province and went on to stay at “a private residence in Nova Scotia,” wrote staff. Her host was not named.

A week later on Aug. 30, 2022, Simon flew back to Ottawa by military aircraft to attend the swearing-in of new Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek in a ceremony that lasted six minutes.

Immediately after the ceremony, Simon returned to Nova Scotia.

“For the return flight to Nova Scotia a family member was a passenger on the plane,” the Inquiry said.

“The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General has no information to provide regarding any other costs related to these flights.”

‘Act Responsibly’

Simon has stressed on several occasions the need to “act responsibly” to fight climate change.

“It is up to all of us to act responsibly and sustainably,” she said on Oct. 30, 2022 after visiting areas of Prince Edward Island damaged by Hurricane Fiona.

“The mental toll of this hurricane was overwhelming, and so, too, is the overall impact of climate change.”

During her visit to Finland on Feb. 9, Simon reiterated that there is “none more urgent than climate change,” among several priorities, in the Arctic region.

“In Canada, we have legislated a net-zero target by 2050,” she said. “We must find ways to move forward—to act now, when it is most critical, to combat climate change at the source, treating both the symptoms and the disease.”

According to Blacklock’s Reporter, records show Simon used federal aircraft even when climate-friendlier travel options were available.

For example, the Governor General took an $8,000 junket by the RCAF from Ottawa to Peterborough, Ont., on Oct. 21, 2022 to make a speech and visit the Canadian Canoe Museum.

Peterborough is three hours from Ottawa by car.