Federal cabinet ministers, political staff and government aides accepted dozens of complimentary FIFA World Cup tickets while Canadian taxpayers were on the hook for an estimated $1.07 billion to host the tournament.Blacklock's Reporter says ethics disclosures show FIFA provided free tickets to several members of Prime Minister Mark Carney's government, including Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden and multiple members of his staff, who attended matches as part of what the government described as official duties.Van Koeverden defended the complimentary tickets, saying attendance at the tournament helped mark Canada's role as a host nation."Attendance provided an opportunity to celebrate Canada's hosting experience," he said, adding the World Cup "has already given Canadians memories we will remember for a generation."Ethics filings show van Koeverden received complimentary tickets along with his chief of staff, Laureen Hadaller, policy advisers Nathan Abdelnour and Caela Fenton, operations director Daniel Turner and summer intern Arianna Chua.In her disclosure, Chua said she attended Germany's match against Ivory Coast to support the secretary of state in his official duties.Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson also accepted two tickets to watch Switzerland play Algeria. His disclosure states he received a FIFA gift package that included a World Cup scarf, a delegation pin and a commemorative plaque.Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree reported receiving a complimentary ticket to watch Croatia play Portugal, along with what he described as a FIFA gift package..Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne accepted free tickets to Canada's match against Bosnia-Herzegovina for himself and operations director Morgan McCullough, as well as another ticket for the Panama-Croatia match. Champagne said he attended in his capacity as finance minister.Heritage Minister Marc Miller and parliamentary aide Peter Cocks also attended Germany's match against Ivory Coast using complimentary tickets, while Deputy Heritage Minister Andrew Brown received a free pass to Canada's game against Bosnia-Herzegovina.Prime Minister Mark Carney disclosed receiving a tournament pass as well as FIFA memorabilia that included a bottle of FIFA Canada perfume, a commemorative soccer ball, two scarves, a keychain, a commemorative coin and a ceremonial banner.According to a Parliamentary Budget Officer report released May 20, the federal government's share of World Cup hosting costs totals $473 million, covering subsidies, security measures and border services.Provincial and municipal governments are expected to spend an additional $593 million, bringing the total public cost of hosting the tournament to approximately $1.07 billion.The budget office estimated Canada's 13 World Cup matches will cost taxpayers about $82 million per game.By comparison, federal records show the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics cost approximately $1.7 billion, the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics cost $1.6 billion, the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics cost $829 million and the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg cost $6.5 million.
