Governor General’s $130K clothing allowance must end: Taxpayers group

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the Liberals to end the Governor General’s lavish clothing allowance of $130,000 over their five-year mandate.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the Liberals to end the Governor General’s lavish clothing allowance of $130,000 over their five-year mandate.

The CTF noted that Governor General Mary Simon has already billed taxpayers $7,576 in the first quarter of this year.

“Simon takes a $378,000 salary from taxpayers; she can pay for her own clothes,” said CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano in a statement on Wednesday.

The money spent by Simon between Jan. 25, 2025 and March 4, 2025, was revealed in response to an order paper question.

According to the government documents, Simon spent $2,510 on luxury wool suits, $1,500 on a “sealskin chest piece,” $1,117 on six pairs of shoes, $875 on a blazer, $495 on a dress, $475 on a coat, $330 on two silk camisoles, $130 on a top and $144 on a “black dress cardigan.”

“Many Canadians are actually stressed about the price of clothing and they shouldn’t have to pay for the governor general’s wardrobe,” said Terrazzano.

Simon will get to keep all expensed clothing after leaving the role.

Earlier this year, Simon also received another bump in her salary, bringing her total pay for 2025 to $378,000, following the $15,200 increase.

She now earns $49,300 more than she did upon her appointment in 2021.

Simon’s cumulative pay raises alone account for over two-thirds of the average Canadian’s annual salary, according to Statistics Canada.

Additionally, the Governor General’s office has racked up over $88,000 in expenses on designer fashion at the expense of taxpayers since 2017.

That figure does not include the cost of washing and dry cleaning those clothes, with the GG’s office spending $117,566 on laundry services since 2018.

The CTF’s calls to end the clothing allowance come after Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed to cut federal spending by 15 per cent across departments, agencies and Crown corporations by 2028.

“The government should have reined in Rideau Hall’s out-of-control spending years ago,” Terrazzano said. “If Prime Minister Mark Carney is serious about saving money, then he would cut the governor general’s extravagant expenses, pay and perks.”

Travel expenses are another perk received by the governor general and Simon alone charged Canadians nearly $3 million for them during her first year in office.

Simon also billed taxpayers $71,000 for limousine services during a four-day trip to Iceland in 2022.

Receipts later revealed that an additional $115,000 was spent on hotel bookings and hotel refreshments, while another $10,000 was spent on throwing a “Friends of Canada Reception,” bringing the total cost of the excursion to $298,000.

Upon retirement, Simon will be eligible for a full pension of about $150,000 per year and is permitted to continue billing taxpayers for expenses of up to $206,000 per year.

A governor general’s expense account survives even their death and will be active for six months after they die.