The Governor General Expense Account Needs Sunlight Before Another Promise Fades

Former governors general claimed $554,000 from a taxpayer-funded expense program last year. Carney says he will look into transparency — Canadians should demand receipts, not another review that disappears.

Prime Minister Mark Carney chose former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour as Canada’s next Governor General. Her résumé is substantial. That is not the issue. The issue is the office, the perks attached to it, and the secrecy that still surrounds spending by former governors general.

CBC News reported that former governors general claimed $554,000 from a taxpayer-funded expense account in the 2024-25 fiscal year. The program, created in 1979, allows each former governor general to bill up to $206,040 per year on top of pensions, and Rideau Hall would not say who received reimbursements or what the money was spent on.

That should not be acceptable in 2026. Canadians are told to accept higher taxes, higher debt charges, higher housing costs, and thinner public services. At the same time, one of the country’s most ceremonial offices still comes with a lifetime post-office allowance where the names and receipts are mostly hidden from the public.

Carney told CBC he would look into the program and ensure there is “adequate transparency.” Good. But Canadians have heard that before. Justin Trudeau ordered a review in 2019 after earlier controversy. That review warned that the program had not been updated to meet modern public-sector expectations and recommended more detailed public reporting. CBC says Rideau Hall confirmed no changes have been made to date.

This is where the new Governor General appointment becomes a real accountability test. The Prime Minister has just refreshed the top of the institution. He should also refresh the rules around the institution’s public costs. If Ottawa can publish MP travel claims, it can publish former viceregal claims. If invoices are required before reimbursement, then taxpayers can receive a public summary that protects legitimate privacy while showing who claimed, how much, and for what broad purpose.

The standard should be simple: no secret perks for public office. Former governors general may continue to serve Canada through charities, foundations, speeches, and civic events. But when taxpayers are paying the bill, taxpayers deserve disclosure.

Carney should publish the 2019 review, implement its reporting recommendations, cap or sunset the allowance, and require annual public expense tables for each former office-holder. He should do it before the next round of claims, not after another headline forces another promise to “look into it.”

Respect for institutions is not protected by hiding receipts. It is protected by making institutions worthy of public trust.