Swearing-in ceremonies for Governor General Louise Arbour have cost taxpayers at least $388,733, with the federal government warning the final bill has yet to be calculated.Blacklock's Reporter says cabinet disclosed the expenses in an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the House of Commons, saying invoices connected to Arbour's installation were still arriving.“Costing associated with the installation of the Governor General is still being finalized,” cabinet wrote. “Many invoices are still outstanding.”Expenses confirmed to date include $19,450 for a luncheon at Rideau Hall, $16,000 to move Arbour, $15,000 for City of Ottawa traffic police and $7,000 for the RCMP Musical Ride.The National Capital Commission spent another $65,000, primarily to prepare the Governor General's living quarters.The figures were disclosed in response to an order paper question from Conservative MP Kelly McCauley, who asked the government for projected costs associated with installing the new Governor General.The spending comes after Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged to make the federal government more efficient and reduce unnecessary expenses.“These are tough times,” Carney told the Liberal caucus on Sept. 10, 2025. “We have to make tough choices for a better future.”Carney said his government would “streamline government operations to be more efficient and effective so we can bring costs down for Canadians.”The $388,733 bill already exceeds the $171,800 spent on the 2021 installation of Arbour's predecessor, Mary Simon. That ceremony was scaled back amid COVID-19 restrictions.The installation of Julie Payette as governor general in 2017 cost $649,008.Those expenses included $112,530 in talent fees for performers including the Canadian Armed Forces Central Band and $167,900 for a cocktail reception at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que.“It’s our duty to some extent to help improve the lives of people in our community, to diminish the gap in the inequities here and elsewhere,” Payette said during her installation.“Then maybe, if we try hard to work together, we may have a chance to find the answers.”.The costliest installation cited in federal records was that of Michaëlle Jean in 2005, which cost $1.3 million and included a state dinner.David Johnston's 2010 installation cost $210,703, including a reception and banquet, while the 1999 swearing-in of Adrienne Clarkson cost $450,850.The disclosure of Arbour's installation costs came alongside figures showing the Business Development Bank of Canada paid $330,000 to hire CBC personality Rick Mercer for an advertising campaign.The Crown corporation disclosed the amount after Opposition House Leader Andrew Scheer asked MPs for details of Mercer's compensation.“Any spending on advertising is paid from the Business Development Bank’s own revenue,” the bank wrote in its response.Arbour's installation bill could climb further once the government receives and processes the remaining invoices.
