Former governor general Adrienne Clarkson is still billing Canadian taxpayers more than $100,000 a year in office expenses, and has now claimed more than $1.1 million in such expenses since she left Rideau Hall in 2005.
Clarkson’s office refused to answer questions about what the money is being spent on or how Clarkson determines what expenses are appropriate to claim. Her executive assistant described the expense claims as a “private matter” between the office and Rideau Hall. The assistant said Clarkson is currently on a weeks-long trip in Europe.
The expenses are on top of the $1.6 million that Clarkson has collected to date as a government pension. It also does not include the $3 million in a start-up grant (plus up to $7 million over 10 years to match donations from the private sector) that was paid to establish Clarkson’s charitable organization, the Institute for Canadian Citizenship. Both the pension and the start-up grant are standard for outgoing governors general.
Clarkson is listed with the Speakers’ Spotlight agency, suggesting she likely receives speaking fees from her events.
No comments:
Post a Comment