Canadian senators nearly doubled their international travel spending in two years, billing taxpayers $736,165 in 2025 as members of the unelected chamber travelled to destinations across Europe, Asia and the Americas.Blacklock's Reporter said an analysis of parliamentary financial disclosures by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation found Senate international travel costs jumped 88% from $391,095 in 2023.A total of 65 senators billed taxpayers $1.85 million for international travel between Jan. 16, 2023, and March 17, 2026, according to the CTF.“Hardworking people never get to vote for a senator in Canada, but their taxes pay for the outrageous globetrotting travel bills,” said CTF spokesperson Kris Sims.“Senators don’t represent Canadians and have no actual responsibilities or influence so there’s no reason for them to be meeting with officials in other countries.”The CTF highlighted seven trips by senators to Strasbourg, France, to observe meetings of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at a combined cost of $173,041.Canada is not a member of the Council of Europe, and Canadian parliamentarians participate in the assembly as observers without voting rights.Senators David Wells, Percy Downe, Brian Francis, Margo Greenwood, Gigi Osler, Claude Carignan, Scott Tannas, Gwen Boniface and Lucie Moncion each made at least one trip to attend PACE meetings, according to the CTF.The taxpayers group said MPs were also present to represent Canada.Tannas billed taxpayers $4,545 for a trip to Strasbourg in April 2024. According to the CTF, he did not deliver or submit a speech during PACE meetings but asked one question at a separate meeting.Wells spent $7,030 travelling to France for a PACE meeting in 2023 and submitted two speeches in writing rather than delivering them on the floor, according to the CTF's review of published transcripts.PACE proceedings are also livestreamed online.“It’s hard to imagine why senators had to spend thousands of dollars to attend a meeting in person when they didn’t even bother to stand up and deliver their speeches,” Sims said.“It’s a good bet that nobody actually read these speeches so there’s no reason that taxpayers should have had to pay for any of it.”The CTF also identified trips to meetings offered through videoconference..Manitoba Sen. Gigi Osler billed taxpayers $4,677 for trips to New York in 2023 and 2024 to attend parliamentary meetings. During the 2023 trip, Osler discussed the benefits of hybrid parliamentary sittings, according to the CTF.Quebec Sen. Éric Forest billed $33,537 for trips to Paris, Geneva and Luxembourg for meetings connected to reforming rules of a French-language parliamentary assembly. The CTF said the organization also conducts meetings by videoconference.Nova Scotia Sen. Michael MacDonald billed taxpayers $2,869 to attend a Canadian Embassy event in Washington during U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration.Three MPs — John McKay, James Maloney and Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay — were also sent by Parliament. The delegation watched a livestream of the inauguration from the embassy.Former Saskatchewan senator Brent Cotter billed $7,694 for a six-day European trip alongside MPs Stéphane Bergeron, Pam Damoff and Viviane Lapointe.The delegation arrived in Tallinn, Estonia, on a Sunday when officials were unavailable to meet them and instead toured what a parliamentary report described as “important landmarks in the city.”Senators René Cormier, Percy Downe and MacDonald also joined MP Richard Cannings on a $76,236 delegation to Argentina and Uruguay.The CTF said Parliament did not publish a report on the trip, but Argentine government records identified Cannings as speaking on behalf of the Canadian delegation during a meeting with lawmakers. The records cited by the taxpayers group did not attribute remarks to the senators.During the Uruguay portion of the trip, Canada's ambassador hosted the delegation at her residence, described in records as offering a “privileged view” of the sea.“This is the definition of privilege, being unelected and unaccountable and blowing other peoples’ money,” Sims said.“Elected MPs were already on almost all of these trips and they don’t need senators to carry their luggage.”.Other trips included two five-day visits to China by Quebec Senator Clément Gignac at a combined cost of $41,317. His delegation visited international schools and Alibaba, rode in a self-driving car, watched humanoid robot demonstrations and met with Cirque du Soleil China.MacDonald billed taxpayers $5,023 for accommodation during a four-day conference in Jackson, Wyoming.A $65,026 delegation that included senators Salma Ataullahjan and Mobina Jaffer spent $1,171 on lunch for 10 people at the Factory Steak & Lobster Restaurant in the Dominican Republic, or about $117 per person.Another $57,629 delegation to Brussels that included senators Claude Carignan, Brent Cotter, Clément Gignac and Rebecca Patterson spent $2,028 on dinner for 13 people at Lola Restaurant, or $156 per person.Carignan, Greenwood and Osler were also part of a $61,400 trip to Strasbourg that included a $171 taxpayer expense for “maple syrup and candies” from the Parliamentary Boutique.Ontario Senator Salma Ataullahjan had the highest international travel expenses during the period examined by the CTF, billing taxpayers $131,706.Her expenses included a $12,887 trip to Cabo Verde and Senegal alongside senators René Cormier, Amina Gerba, Manuelle Oudar and Rebecca Patterson.The entire delegation cost taxpayers $95,795, according to the CTF.The taxpayers group said Canada exports about $2.4 million in goods annually to Cabo Verde, representing roughly 0.0003% of Canadian exports.Wells recorded the second-highest international travel expenses at $120,389, including $31,148 for four trips to Vienna.MacDonald ranked third in spending identified by the CTF at $85,025.The increase comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney's government has directed federal departments to find savings of up to 15%.“Our government will work relentlessly to cut waste and drive efficiencies,” Carney said ahead of Budget 2025.Senate international travel spending is continuing in 2026. According to the CTF analysis, senators had billed taxpayers $197,006 for international trips by March 17.
