Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First of all, the facts were made public thanks to the question on the order paper asked by the Conservative member for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, who wanted to know the details of the use of the Airbus CC‑150 Polaris aircraft since December 1, 2021.
We received the documents on June 13 and discovered, quite astoundingly, that Governor General Mary Simon had spent $93,117.89 in nine days during her trip to the Middle East. In fact, almost $100,000 was spent on catering for 30 people, including the Governor General, on a plane. That is incredible.
It raises a lot of questions. Where did this astronomical amount come from? Who are the Governor General's 29 guests? We know that when the Governor General goes abroad, it is not to do extremely intensive work; rather, she is making an appearance. We want to know who made the decision about these expenses. Also, the Governor General said that it was not her, but the Department of National Defence that picked up the tab so that she could have access to this catering, whose cost was astronomical. Personally, I would love to hear from our Governor General why she has no say in the expenses she incurs.
In fact, whether the funds come from the Department of National Defence budget or the Governor General's budget, it is the taxpayers of Quebec and Canada who have to foot the bill. These people work very hard and pay astronomical amounts for the public service. Therefore, I think we should be respectful of them and ask the Governor General for an explanation. We need to make sure that she sheds light on the situation.
In the media, people have started to compare her trip with the Prime Minister's trip to Europe, and we see that the costs incurred by the Governor General are three to four times higher than those incurred by the Prime Minister on his trip. I do not know if you find this normal, but I, for one, find it problematic.
Of course, there is also the amount of money spent on gas for the plane, $248,000.
I would also like to know exactly why it was essential that she represent Canada with 29 other people. This is a question that can be asked.
I would like to tell you that the Minister of Canadian Heritage himself told reporters that the Governor General would have to explain these unrealistic expenses. I am echoing his words, Mr. Chair.
This is a scandalous situation, and I'm choosing my words carefully.
May I ask that the committee hold a debate on this?