Luxury hotel, $12,000 plane tickets: a senior official even had her baggage porter reimbursed

$1,000 night in a luxury hotel with luggage porter, business class plane tickets to Tokyo, Dubai and Vienna: the outgoing president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has increased the number of costly trips at taxpayers’ expense.

According to a compilation by our Bureau of Investigation, Rumina Velshi was reimbursed $288,000 for business trips in 19 months between January 2022 and July 2023.

She is by far the most spent in the senior federal public service, $100,000 more than any other executive employed by the State.

Last year alone, her air travel took her six times to the United States, three times to Austria, twice to Japan, as well as to Vancouver, Paris and Madrid. This represents around a hundred nights at the hotel. Ms. Velshi’s 2022 is also the most expensive year for travel since 2018, for all federal civil servants combined.

“It’s nothing less than a jet-set life that has been assumed by taxpayers,” laments Nicolas Gagnon, spokesperson for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

$1000 per night

The Torontonian is far from being satisfied every time with a motel near the highway or an economy class seat.

In March 2022, M^me Velshi participated in a two-day Forum in Dubai on the theme of energy. A trip that cost taxpayers a whopping $18,000, including $12,600 for his plane ticket alone.

A few months later, during a three-day summit in Wyoming, the president spent $1,000 per night in a luxury hotel at the foot of the slopes.

“There are people who are struggling to pay for their groceries and their mortgage, and these are the same taxpayers who are paying for Ms.^me Velshi,” underlines Mr. Gagnon.

The last federal budget of March 2023 also provided for a 15% reduction in travel spending.

Leadership

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission defends its president’s travel expenses, but has refused to specify the hotels and restaurants she frequented during certain particularly expensive stays.

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“Former President Velshi demonstrated leadership in the field of nuclear regulation in Canada and around the world,” said Braeson Holland, spokesperson for the organization.

He assures that M^me Velshi, who left his post on October 13, respected the federal government’s travel directive, put in place by the Treasury Board. Please note that the CNSC is not subject to federal directives and that it establishes its own rules for travel expenses.

M^me Velshi declined our interview request due to his busy schedule. By email, she clarified that Canada had unique expertise in the nuclear field, explaining in particular why its international involvement was necessary. Additionally, she serves as chair of a commission of the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose offices are located in Vienna, Austria. This would explain why she stayed there seven times in three years.

Very significant expenses, according to an expert

A sum of $290,000 in travel in some 18 months is considered “extremely high” by a public finance expert, who urges state employees to use “common sense”.

“If she spends $100,000 more than another person with similar responsibilities, that’s considerable,” analyzes Geneviève Tellier, professor of political science at the University of Ottawa.

The cost and frequency of his trips raise even more eyebrows because they take place while taxpayers face historic inflation, coupled with high interest rates.

“It’s like saying: your reality is not my reality. This is problematic and all the more shocking in the context of inflation.”

According to her, senior officials of the federal government must make choices in the activities in which they participate, “because we cannot do everything.”

“Yes, some trips can cost more than others, but at a certain point, do we accept everything?” she asks, given the scale of Ms.^me Velshi.

Remote conference

The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that it is often possible to transform an international conference into virtual meetings.

“With remote conferences, we are much more comfortable than we were before,” notes the political scientist, who questions the necessity of each of these missions.

As for the argument put forward by the CNSC according to which these expenses were permitted, it is not sufficient, insists Professor Tellier.

“It’s a vision that we find a lot at the federal level. But ultimately, these rules are not satisfactory and cause problems for taxpayers who find themselves paying the bill,” notes M^me Tellier.

At the same time, the travel expenses of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Governor General are making headlines for similar reasons.

“They don’t lead by example. This causes a problem when we want to encourage civil servants to be more responsible,” observes M.^me Tellier.

The biggest federal spending spenders on travel – 2022 and 2023

1 – Rumina Velshi

President of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

$288,657

2 – Catherine Stewart

Climate Change Ambassador

$189,096

3 – Bob Auchterlonie

Commander of the Canadian Armed Forces

$172,082

4 – Terry Guillon

Prime Minister Trudeau’s media scout

$167,132

5 – Peter Routledge

Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada

$144,755

Source: Federal government open data, compiled on October 4, 2023 by our Bureau of Investigation.