Governor General Mary Simon and travelling companions dined on steak, cake, and Chardonnay on a junket to Dubai, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. .“Ordering enough meals of each option so that passengers have a choice is a challenging art,” said Global Affairs Canada in a submission to the House of Commons Government Operations Committee. .Staff said Simon and 45 friends ate typical airline food. Actual menus for meals costing $218 per plate featured French crepes, beef Wellington, and red velvet cake with chantilly cream..MPs compelled disclosure of menus in auditing the catering costs for the March trip. .“I was one of the passengers on those flights,” said Gov-Gen deputy secretary Christine MacIntyre. .“The meals we were given are the types of meals you would get on a commercial flight.”.The menu for the first leg of the junket from Ottawa to London featured an artisan meat and cheese platter with croissants, chickpea and feta salad, butter chicken with cauliflower rice, and cranberry-stuffed pork tenderloin served with maple gravy and cooked brussels sprouts..A flight from London to Dubai featured a breakfast of yogurt parfait with cranberry orange muffins, Boursin cheese omelettes, sundried tomatoes, grilled pork sausages topped with sauteed button mushrooms, French crepes, turkey bacon, and caramelized peaches. Dinner was pan-fried chicken on fettuccine coated with mushroom wine sauce and capers or beef wellington with red wine jus, potatoes roasted with rosemary and baby carrots, and red velvet cake with chantilly cream. .A lunch in Doha consisted of wild rice salad with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, smoked turkey, and apple crumble. Other menu items were goat cheese salad, fresh salmon, assorted cold meats and cheeses, steak and mushroom pie with potatoes, Thai chicken curry with jasmine rice, and chocolate pistachio cake. .Meals were accompanied with fine wines such as Chardonnay, Merlot, and Pinot Noir and organic ales and lagers. .“An average of $218 per meal would represent groceries for a whole family,” said Bloc Québécois MP Julie Vignola. .“I understand she’s the King’s representative and all that, but still, are we going to accept this, to see our money spent like that?”.The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in June to control governor general expenses amid reports Simon spent $93,118 on airline food. .READ MORE: CTF calls for prime minister to get governor general spending under control.“Racking up a nearly six-figure tab on in-flight catering is a huge waste of money and shows contempt for taxpayers’ hard-earned money,” said CTF Federal Director Franco Terrazzano. .“The government hasn’t done policy things right like ending expense accounts for former governors general and the government isn’t doing the day-to-day like keeping a lid on extravagant catering bills.”
