MPs on the parliamentary committee that helped bring down former privacy commissioner George Radwanski want to look into the spending habits of Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson.
They're holding up as Exhibit No. 1 a circumpolar trip expected to cost as much as $1-million that Ms. Clarkson is mounting next week to Russia, Finland and Iceland with 59 Canadian artists, academics and businesspeople.
Aiming to spark "a vigorous exchange of ideas and culture affirming and strengthening our shared northern identity," she is taking 26 Canadians to Russia and another 33 to Finland and Iceland. Invitees include filmmaker Denys Arcand, architect Arthur Erickson, author Jane Urquhart and soprano Measha Brueggergosman.
"I think they'd all be fascinating dinner guests, but whether that means you're supposed to charter a plane and fly around the world is another question," New Democrat MP Pat Martin said.
"People on the street are really ticked off . . . there's an absolute zero-tolerance attitude out there since the Radwanski affair for anything that even looks like excess in terms of government spending," said Mr. Martin, a member of the parliamentary committee.
Some MPs on the committee want to call top staffers in the Governor-General's office to explain why the trip is necessary. Others want a broader justification for the budget that supports Canada's head of state.
"We have an obligation as parliamentarians to point out those kinds of trips do tend to raise the ire of the Canadian public," Liberal MP Judy Sgro said.
"We're not on any witch hunt or anything; issues have been raised."
The Governor-General's office says its officials won't be coming to explain the trips to Iceland, Finland and Russia because these are state visits taken at the request of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and financed by the department.
"If the parliamentary committee is interested in questions regarding the budgets for state visits, it would actually fall to officials from the Department of Foreign affairs to answer these questions," said Stewart Wheeler, press secretary for Ms. Clarkson.
Mr. Wheeler said staff from the Governor-General's office would come and answer questions about its budget if requested.
Members of the House of Commons committee on government operations and estimates are feeling their oats after their probe of Mr. Radwanski's expenses prompted his resignation at the start of the summer.
Fitted with a $79,000 parachute, Mr. Radwanski resigned on June 23, averting a drawn-out parliamentary effort to force him from office over allegations he whitewashed his extravagant spending habits.
He resigned days before the committee report delivered a sweeping and unprecedented indictment on June 27, accusing Mr. Radwanski of financial abuses, creating a "culture of intimidation" for his employees and not meeting the required standard of honesty.
No decision has been made yet on whether the committee will call the Governor-General's office to account for Ms. Clarkson's spending. MPs may decide their course of action early next week when they meet to decide their fall schedule.
Mr. Wheeler did not provide an estimate of the cost of the total trip, which runs Sept. 23 to Oct. 13, but news reports have estimated the price tag will be more than $1-million for visiting all three countries.
"People may not realize that since 1926, state visits have been happening and these will be the 47th, 48th and 49th state visits undertaken by a Canadian governor-general," Mr. Wheeler said.