Article content

OTTAWA — Dinner’s on us.

Article content

Documents uncovered Tuesday by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation outline fancy meals, delectable spreads and high-priced dining for the boards of some crown corporations.

Article content

Article content

“Some of these Crown corporation boards seem to think it’s fine to expense big bills from fancy restaurants because they think everyone’s doing it, but that’s out of touch and irresponsible,” said the CTF’s federal director Franco Terrazzano. “Even their counterparts at other Crowns are puncturing that culture of entitlement.”

Tens of thousands spent on meals, receptions

The figures were sourced from online proactive government disclosures.

Average Canadian families, Terrazzano said, could buy groceries for a year for less than what some boards paid to cater their meetings.

Article content

Article content

Among the worst offenders on the CTF’s list was the Canada Foundation for Innovation, which, according to the documents, spent $26,529 on board meeting meals in 2025 alone — with expenses including over $4,200 paid each for a pair of receptions at Vancouver and Toronto Hyatt hotels. 

Records also show that foundation CEO Sylvain Charbonneau expensed $3,881 for a December 2025 board meeting described as a “working dinner, lunch and refreshments” for 20 people at a downtown Ottawa hotel.

Another high spender was the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) whose board of directors racked up a $20,864 catering bill, almost exclusively from a Verdun, Que., high-end caterer, while the National Gallery of Canada board spent $12,566 at some of the National Capital Region’s best restaurants. 

Article content

Among the $12,334 spent by the Royal Canadian Mint’s board of directors included $2,428.73 for a 15-person meal at a pricey Winnipeg steakhouse in Sept. 2025.

That averages out to around $162 per person.

Not all crown corporations spent big

Other agencies were comparatively frugal in their meal expenses.

The $2,349 meal expenses for the Canadian Grain Commission’s board of directors largely included food sourced from local grocery stores and delicatessens, and featured $63 spent at Tim Hortons for coffee and donuts by Chief Commissioner David Hunt for a 13-person committee meeting.

Telefilm Canada’s meal bill only came to $4,062 in 2025, including $435.96 for nine guests at a reasonably-priced Montreal eatery, and shopping for board meeting snacks at discount grocery stores.

Other low spenders include the Canada Council for the Arts ($257 spent in 2025,) Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation ($237) and VIA Rail ($357).

“(Prime Minister Mark) Carney said he’s looking for ways to save money and these records show he doesn’t need Millhouse-sized glasses to find waste at Crown corporations,” Terrazzano said.

“The government is broke, Canadians are struggling and Carney needs to crack down on these extravagant taxpayer-funded expenses.”

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Play Video

Article content