Taxpayers were forced to pick up the tab for a $71,000 bill from “Icelimo Luxury Travel” during Governor General Mary Simon’s four-day visit to Iceland last fall. 

“The governor general spent more on fancy rides in four days than the average Canadian makes in a whole year,” Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said. “We’re not saying the governor general should be hitchhiking, but surely she could have gotten around a small island for less than the price of a brand-new BMW.”

The cost to taxpayers was more than $1,000 per hour during the 69.5 hours Simon and her entourage spent in the country, according to a review of her official itinerary.

Icelimo specializes in “genuine luxury travel life experiences … crafted with flair and finesse entirely around your dreams,” according to its website.

Simon spent Oct. 12-15, 2022, in Iceland to attend the Arctic Circle Assembly, an annual international gathering held at the Harpa Conference Hall in the capital city of Reykjavik. 

The Harpa Conference Hall is located about 700 metres – or less than a 10-minute walk – from the Hotel Borg, where Simon and 15 others stayed during the trip. 

The CTF obtained internal government records and receipts related to the trip through a series of access-to-information requests. 

All told, the four-day trip cost Canadian taxpayers at least $298,000.

About $115,000 came in the form of hotel bookings and hotel refreshment costs, while another $10,000 was spent throwing a “Friends of Canada Reception.”

Included in the overall costs for the trip is $18,600 for a “pre-visit” by an unknown number of staff from Aug. 28 to Sept. 1, 2022, who prepared the way for Simon’s arrival weeks later. The cost of the pre-visit also included a $6,400 tab from Icelimo. 

Simon brought along her husband, her secretary, her director of communications, her manager of strategic communications, two “aide-de-camp” and her official photographer.

The amount paid to Icelimo would have covered the cost to purchase – outright – a 2012 Dodge Challenger limousine, with enough money left over to also pick up a 2011 Lincoln Town Car limousine.

Other, more affordable transportation options would have included Pick Me Up and VIP Travel, both of which operate in Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavik and offer cheaper fares. 

Meanwhile, the delegation could have cut down on hotel costs by renting out an entire nine-bedroom “farmhouse” on a 700-acre estate with a geothermal hot pool about an hour’s drive from the city. In fact, the governor general’s team could have booked the idyllic location for more than 40 days and nights at a cheaper price tag for taxpayers. 

“It seems like Simon and her bureaucrats go out of their way to find the most expensive options,” Terrazzano said.  “Maybe when Canadians can barely afford groceries our government could ease up on the fancy rides, airplane food, hotels and international trips.”

The Iceland trip marked the third time Simon travelled abroad since her official appointment to governor general by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in July 2021. 

In October 2021, Simon brought along her husband and 31 others for a four-day trip to attend a German bookfair, which cost taxpayers about $700,000. 

In March 2022, Simon’s weeklong trip to the Middle East cost taxpayers about $1.3 million.

On both trips, Simon and her entourage racked up impressive in-flight catering bills: $103,000 during the Germany trip;$99,000 during the Middle East trip. 

A review of the receipts from the Middle East trip – obtained by the CTF – shows Simon and company dined on beef Wellington and apple-stuffed pork tenderloin, among other dishes that sound at home on fine dining menus.

While the governor general’s Iceland trip did not result in a six-figure in-flight catering tab, a review of receipts reveals someone expensed taxpayers for a $602 beef steak bourguignon with mashed potatoes, followed by a $238 mousse with crumble and strawberry sauce for dessert. 

Most recently, Simon travelled to Finland this February where she spoke out on climate change. Meanwhile, the plane that Simon flew on burned through nearly 25,000 litres of jet fuel, which is the equivalent to the fuel needed to power 22 cars for an entire year. 

“Clearly Simon likes to jet around the world spending buckets of taxpayer cash, but what value are taxpayers getting out of all her fancy trips?” Terrazzano said. “The feds need to rein in the cost of international trips and Simon’s budget.”

The Arctic Circle Assembly, established in 2013, aims to “facilitate dialogue and build relationships to address rapid changes in the Arctic,” according to its mission statement.  

Simon gave a 15-minute keynote address, followed by a 10-minute question-and-answer session – both of which were recorded and are available to watch on YouTube.