'Conscience is clear': N.B. tourism minister, deputy expense $22,500 for Euro trip
New Brunswick's tourism minister has remained defiant in the face of criticism from opposition members who have questioned the benefits of a weeklong trip to Europe that cost the province more than $22,500.
Tammy Scott-Wallace faced almost two days of questioning this week in the legislature about her time overseas.
"My conscience is clear when it comes to my expenses around these trips," she said during a session of the legislature committee on budget estimates.
Scott-Wallace and her deputy, Yennah Hurley, along with two other staff members, travelled to the United Kingdom and France from Sept. 8 to 15. They visited Stonehenge, the British Museum, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Versailles, among other sites.
The Progressive Conservative minister billed the government $10,199 for the trip, and her deputy submitted receipts worth $12,328.
Hurley's receipts show $3,230 for her stay at the Trafalgar St. James hotel in London, and $2,286 for her accommodations at Hotel Lumen in Paris. The luxury hotel London charges more than $1,000 per night; Hotel Lumen, boasting a location in the "heart of Paris," costs more than $600 per night.
She also billed $560 for Eurostar train tickets, $24 for a tour of the British Museum and $92 for a ride on the London Eye -- a ferris wheel that overlooks the River Thames.
Scott-Wallace's trips were described on the expense report as "Tourism Mission -- Europe."
Isabelle Theriault, the Liberals' tourism critic, called the trip "a vacation with a few meetings here and there to justify it."
"What did it give the taxpayers of New Brunswick, that you went there for eight days?" she asked.
"It's really not clear what you did, except visit some places. Like, you have to face the music."
Scott-Wallace said the province secured contracts during her time in the United Kingdom and France, but the government didn't immediately respond to questions about the nature and value of those contracts.
"That's incredibly important," the minister said. "It's a good day's work and it's a good seven days' work for me. I'll tell you that."
The tours of Windsor Castle and the Palace of Versailles, she said, allowed her to learn "best practices" about "built heritage."
New Brunswick, she said, has similar sites to the U.K. and France but on a smaller scale. For instance, while on a tour of the British Museum, she learned the institution offers abbreviated 45-minute tours to cruise ship passengers. The same kind of shortened tours, she said, could be added to the offering at the New Brunswick Museum, which is under renovation.
Scott-Wallace told the legislature that her trip to Europe in September led to a 23 per cent year-over-year increase in 2023 in the number of tourists to the province from the United Kingdom and a 12 per cent increase in tourists from France. She did not give details, however, about why she thought her visits sparked a boost in the popularity of New Brunswick among the English and French.
In an appearance before the budget estimates committee on Wednesday, Premier Blaine Higgs said the government would re-evaluate policies surrounding such overseas visits.
Scott-Wallace and Hurley's Europe trip wasn't approved in advance because the minister said such expenses are "budgeted for."
Rene Legacy, Liberal critic for the Department of Finance and Treasury, questioned Higgs about the trip and the expenses.
In response, the premier said that just because such expenses were incurred in the past, doesn't mean they should be repeated.
"I'm asking questions too," Higgs said. "I want to understand what our policies are because sometimes policies can be better defined so that we all ensure that taxpayers' money is used to the most efficient manner. We're going to ask those questions."
The ministers' travel expenses weren't the only bills that attracted the ire of the opposition.
Hurley billed the province $77,710 last year, including $15,000 for a real estate commission, $3,550.67 for movers and $770.50 in legal fees. She also charged the government 68 cents for travelling on the Fundy Trail, and 83 cents on Ministers Island near the town of St. Andrews.
Green Leader David Coon questioned the Realtor and moving expenses. "The taxpayers of this province should not be paying the Realtor costs of public servants when they sell their homes," he said.
Scott-Wallace defended her deputy's moving expenses, saying government employees who are transferred are allowed to recover moving costs.
"This is a policy that has been accepted and used for years with governments of both colours," she said about the Tories and Liberals.
Higgs, later in the day, clarified that such expenses are reserved for senior government employees, adding that the practice would be reviewed.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2024.
For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
NDP calls out Conservatives for effort to squash pharmacare legislation
The federal New Democrats are calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party for trying to block the bill that could pave the way for millions of Canadians to access birth control and diabetes coverage.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.