Canada’s chief science advisor has charged taxpayers more than $415,000 in travel expenses since taking office, including 12 business-class flights to Paris, according to newly released federal records.Blacklock's Reporter says Access to Information documents show Mona Nemer, who earns $393,000 annually as Chief Science Advisor, began submitting substantial travel claims within months of her 2017 appointment. Among the expenses was a $10,433 business-class trip to Paris, part of nearly $19,000 in travel costs billed over a two-month period that included visits to Montreal, Toronto, Victoria, Washington and Winnipeg.The records add to scrutiny surrounding Nemer’s travel spending after she told MPs last November she could not recall whether she had flown business class.Nemer’s total travel expenses have now reached $415,835.Appearing before the House of Commons science committee, Nemer defended her travel schedule as an essential part of her role.“I do quite a bit of outreach in my position,” she told MPs. “I think it’s really important.”Describing her international travel as “science diplomacy,” Nemer said global engagement helps advance scientific collaboration.“It’s people helping each other to advance science,” she said.Conservative MP Vincent Ho questioned the value taxpayers receive from the office..“What exactly are Canadian taxpayers paying you to do?” Ho asked during committee proceedings.“What the Canadian public is paying for is an independent advisor who is functioning in a transparent and trustworthy manner,” Nemer replied.When Ho pressed further, asking how her office adds value, Nemer responded: “We add a lot of value by bringing people together.”The records show Paris was far from Nemer’s only international destination. She also logged 10 trips to Washington, five to Tokyo, five to London and three to Brussels. Another business-class trip to Stockholm and Madrid cost taxpayers more than $10,000.“International engagement is extremely important,” Nemer told the committee.Conservative MP Jagsharan Singh Mahal also questioned Nemer about her travel habits, specifically whether she flew business class.“My travel is according to Government of Canada directives,” Nemer responded.When asked directly whether she travelled in economy or business class, Nemer said, “It’s unimportant.”Pressed again, she told MPs, “I don’t remember.”“You don’t remember?” Mahal asked.“No,” Nemer replied.“Travel was part of the job description,” she added. “In fact it said the candidate needed to be willing to travel.”.When Mahal asked whether the job required business-class travel, Nemer responded that “travel is an easy target.”Records also show significant variation in accommodation costs. Nemer billed taxpayers $526 per night for a stay at Hotel Blu in Vancouver, $577 per night at Geneva’s Hotel Auteuil Manotel and $815 per night at Madrid’s Hotel Miguel Angel.The disclosures come despite repeated federal promises to reduce travel spending across government.“It is really important to be a fiscally responsible government,” then-finance minister Chrystia Freeland told the House of Commons in 2023.The newly released records are likely to fuel further questions about travel expenses and oversight within Ottawa’s growing bureaucracy.
