Former Ambassador to China Says Guilbeault's $140,000 China Visit Had 'Bloated' Delegation

Ex-Ambassador Criticizes Guilbeault’s $140,000 China Visit for ‘Overly Large’ Delegation

December 14, 2023 TruthUSA

A $140,000 expenditure for a delegation’s two-day trip to China in August led by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault is facing criticism from Canada’s former ambassador to the country.

“Delegation looks bloated, top-heavy for a brief, inconsequential vanity-fest in Beijing. Possibly a goodbye gift for senior political staff,” David Mulroney, who was Canada’s ambassador to China between 2009 and 2012, wrote in a Dec. 13 post on X.

Mr. Guilbeault led a seven-person delegation to China from Aug. 26–31 to participate in the annual general meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), a high-level advisory body with a mandate to conduct research and provide policy recommendations to Chinese authorities on environment and development.

The costs of the delegation were revealed in a Parliamentary response to an Oct. 24 order paper question filed by Conservative MP Damien Kurek. The document states the estimated total cost of the delegation is $140,073.60, covering airfare, accommodation, meals, and other incidentals.

Apart from Mr. Guilbeault, the delegation included assistant deputy minister Sandra McCardell, climate change ambassador Catherine Stewart, ambassador to China Jennifer May, Environment department staffers Gail Cockburn and Pamela Bowles, Guilbeault’s chief of staff Dominic Cormier, chief political adviser Eddy Perez, and operations director Elena Mitchell.

Mr. Guilbeault’s expenses amounted to $17,359.97, covering $14,825.06 for airfare, $1,339.71 for accommodation, and $1,195.20 for meals and incidentals. Per-person costs for other members of the delegation varied, ranging from $10,158.43 to $18,917.78. Pending claims still exist for some of Ms. Cockburn’s travel expenses, the document indicates.