CALGARY — Senate Speaker Raymonde Gagné and her entourages have billed taxpayers at least $875,677 for international travel since she was appointed to the position three years ago, according to parliamentary financial records reviewed by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.The spending covered at least 14 trips after Gagné became Speaker of the Senate in May 2023, with destinations including Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Spain and several African countries.The federation said the true cost is higher because the disclosures do not include the full expenses associated with trips to Chile, Tunisia and the Netherlands.“It’s hard to imagine why an unelected senator should be travelling anywhere outside of the country on taxpayers’ dime, so Gagné billing taxpayers almost $1 million to fly around the world is completely unacceptable,” said CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano.“Prime Minister Mark Carney needs to hold Gagné accountable and make sure senators aren’t globetrotting on the taxpayer credit card.”By comparison, international travel by the Speaker of the House of Commons cost taxpayers $771,243 over the same period — about $104,434 less than the amount attributed to Gagné and her delegations.The Senate travel records do not identify any reimbursements to taxpayers..CTF says federal executives received $201.5 million in bonuses despite missing performance targets .Gagné receives an annual salary of $268,300, along with residence and vehicle allowances and other benefits. Unlike MPs, senators are appointed, do not represent electoral constituencies and are not accountable to voters through elections.One of Gagné’s most expensive trips took her delegation to New Zealand in September 2024 at a cost of $118,965.The itinerary included “business calls” in Wellington, Christchurch and Rotorua, a well-known tourist destination. Gagné visited the Rotorua Lakes Council and posed for a photograph with the city’s mayor.In March 2026, Gagné and her entourage travelled to Japan, where she paid what Japan’s foreign affairs ministry described as a “courtesy call” on the country’s foreign affairs minister. The trip cost taxpayers $107,594.“If Gagné wants to make a courtesy call to a Japanese politician, then she should pick up the phone instead of billing taxpayers six figures,” Terrazzano said.Gagné and a delegation also travelled to Spain and the United Kingdom in March 2025. During the $105,156 trip, the Senate delegation received a new ceremonial sword from King Charles.That trip included a $2,822 dinner for 12 people at the Oxford and Cambridge Club in London, working out to about $235 per person.Gagné also billed taxpayers $1,927 for a luncheon for 12 people in Madrid, or approximately $160 per person.Another delegation travelled to Côte d’Ivoire and Benin in March 2024 at a cost of $101,816.In Côte d’Ivoire, the Canadian delegation attended the opening of the Regional Stock Exchange and watched the ceremonial signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Montreal Exchange.While in Benin, the delegation “visited major tourist sites” and learned about what parliamentary records described as the “sacred forest of Voodoo culture.”.CTF urges Ford to tighten MPP expense rules after hotel spending controversy .Gagné and her delegation also spent $82,877 travelling to the United Kingdom and Ireland to discuss artificial intelligence and climate change. Hospitality costs included a $2,204 reception in Dublin catered by a company called Gourmet Chef.Other disclosed hospitality expenses included a $1,408 luncheon for 13 people in Bucharest, Romania.“In what world is it acceptable for an unelected senator to bill taxpayers thousands of dollars for meals and receptions in Europe?” Terrazzano said.The records show Gagné also travelled to Switzerland, France, the United States, Belgium, Brazil, Romania, the Czech Republic and South Africa.Her partner accompanied her on at least eight taxpayer-funded international trips, according to the financial disclosures.Gagné has previously spoken publicly about her enthusiasm for travel. In a 2024 interview with SenCAPlus, the Senate’s magazine, she was described as an “avid traveller” who had visited 30 countries and almost every continent.“I cherish those experiences,” Gagné said during the interview. “My current partner also likes to travel, and we have explored India and Japan together.”Terrazzano said the spending illustrates the need for tighter controls on Senate travel.“If senators aren’t going to represent anyone but themselves then they need to not represent anyone for a lot less money,” he said.Gagné was appointed to the Senate in 2016 by former prime minister Justin Trudeau and named Speaker in May 2023.“I still pinch myself when I realize that I am sitting in the Red Chamber,” Gagné said in the Senate interview.
