Let them eat cake

I was going to say, "Let them eat sh-t," because that's what it amounts to.  After racking up HUGE bills last year on a bizarre and inappropriate trip to the Middle East (last time I checked, the Middle East was not part of the Commonwealth), which cost taxpayers $1.3 million, including $100,000 on gourmet, in-flight catering for her and 28 of her friends, Governor General Mary Simon has again doubled down on another unnecessary trip, this one to Iceland.

Why was she there?   Iceland is also not part of the Commonwealth, but the press release says she went to "demonstrate Canadian leadership in the Arctic and reinforce other priority issues for Canada (like what?!) in the North, including climate change, reconciliation, gender equality and youth engagement."

All a total pile of drivel and buzz words.  Gender equality?  Youth engagement?  Huh!?  Really?!  How are these issues specific to Iceland and Canada?  Why did she have to go there?  Did King Charles ask her to?  No, so clearly Simon must have forgotten she is the representative of the King in Canada.  Apparently, she thinks she represents herself.  Mary has lost the plot. 

In the interests of "climate change" Simon racked up $64,799.57 in limo services.  Her hotel -- a mere 500 metres from the conference venue -- was apparently too far to walk, so she kept a few limos at the ready.  If anyone could use a bit of walking, it's Simon, who's a tad on the stout side:

For $64,474.57, Simon could have bought a brand new BMW, driven it around the island and then left it outside the airport with the keys inside and still saved money.

The entire trip cost us $298,353 -- with $115,353 in hotel costs.  Canada has an embassy in Iceland, so why didn't she stay there, as Biden did in the US Embassy in London when the Queen died?  Exactly.  Simon neglected to include in-flight catering, but invoices list beef bourguignon for the RCAF Challenger's nine passengers, who also dined on skyr mousse with strawberry sauce for dessert.  

Oh, and there was that advance party that travelled to Iceland, stinging taxpayers for $18,600, including $6,400 for limo services to avoid that exhausting 500 metre walk.

As for clothing, Simon has fleeced us for $88,000 since taking office.  

WTF?!, is all I can say.

"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?" asked Franco Terrazzano, director of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation.

What value indeed.

Simon, who in her previous life railed against the government with damning assessments of the treatment of Indigenous peoples in the Arctic, is now happily dug into the federal trough, gourmandizing away.

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p.s.  John Ivison just did a column on this today in 'The National Post'.  I'm always ahead on these things, she said, bragging.