TORONTO, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is calling on the Pan Am Games to disclose the cost of the closing ceremonies, including the amount paid to rapper Kanye West for his scheduled performance.

When asked how much Kanye West was being paid for the performance, Pan Am Games CEO Saad Rafi refused to reveal the amount, stating that the contract is between Kanye and concert producer Live Nation. However, he described the cost of the performance as “somewhat shared.” When pressed further for specifics of Pan Am Games contribution for Kanye’s performance, Mr. Rafi stated he is not prepared to share that information. (Photo Kanye West Wikipedia/vonlohmann)

“Taxpayers have a right to know if their hard-earned money is going into the pockets of the self-proclaimed ‘greatest living rock-star’, Kanye West”, said CTF Ontario Director Christine Van Geyn. “It doesn’t matter if Mr. Rafi doesn’t want to tell us what he paid Live Nation to get Kim Kardashian’s husband to perform at the closing ceremonies. If he’s paying Kanye with public money, he needs to be transparent and justify that expense.”

The closing ceremonies are being produced by B5C Productions, BaAM Productions, and Five Currents in association with Live Nation.