Quebec Sen. Amina Gerba travelled to Vancouver with her husband for two 20-hour English courses at a total cost of nearly $22,000 — trips that several parliamentarians say raise ethical questions.
The trips in July 2023 and 2024, which fell within the rules of Senate travel, were reimbursed. Gerba and her husband took the courses at Collège Éducacentre, their tuition costing $1,521 each time.
Travel expenses — including hotel, business-class airfare and daily allowances for the six-day trips — cost taxpayers $9,064.30 in the first year and $9,790.25 in the second.
Gerba, who represents the Rigaud division in Quebec, was not available for an interview. But she said in a written statement that she had followed the Senate’s office management policy. The policy sets the rules that govern senators’ travel, office and other expenses.
Members of the upper house are entitled to reimbursement for official language training and related travel expenses. The Senate allows senators’ spouses to take the same courses and also have their expenses reimbursed.
Sen. Raymonde Saint-Germain, who sits on the Senate’s standing committee on internal economy, budgets and administration (CIBA), believes that the guidelines for language training should be reviewed.
“Is it reasonable just because it’s allowed? In my opinion, no,” she said in an interview.
After inquiring about Gerba’s travel expenses, Radio-Canada learned that the CIBA will be reviewing the rules surrounding English and French courses at a meeting on Thursday.
“No one is questioning the importance of mastering both languages, but can it be done more effectively and at a lower cost?” Saint-Germain said. “We are in the realm of public service.”
Saint-Germain also questioned the wisdom of travelling with a spouse if the purpose is immersion in an English-speaking environment.
“Normally, immersion means being alone in the environment in which you want to learn,” she said.
Gerba said in a statement that her husband’s presence helped her “maintain family balance without interfering with [her] official responsibilities.”
As for the need to travel to Vancouver, Gerba said it was “important, in the context of [her] duties, to travel throughout the country she represents.”
“These trips are not only an opportunity to improve my English and better understand the realities and issues facing the different provinces, but also a way to enrich my cultural perspective and discover the diversity that makes our country so rich,” she said.
The senator also noted that her stay was “enriched by parliamentary and professional activities,” including meetings about a supply management bill, meetings with the Francophone Chamber of Commerce of British Columbia and a ceremony honouring Korean War veterans.
Bloc Québécois MP Christine Normandin and NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice said Gerba should reimburse travel expenses that they say are unjustified.
“Going away with your spouse, to a relatively popular destination, in business class, twice, for only a few hours … it gives the impression that it was more of a vacation than a real desire to learn a language,” said Normandin, the Bloc’s House leader.
Boulerice pointed to the fact that similar English courses are available in Montreal — much closer to Gerba’s home.
“We can understand the anger of people who say, ‘I’m paying for this?'” he said. “If we’re going to cut back on services to the public, let’s start by cutting this kind of spending.”
Language training in Canada is not the only type of travel currently under review by the Senate.
Last June, Radio-Canada reported on the Senate’s regional “familiarization tours,” notably in Alberta, with stops at the Calgary Stampede and Lake Louise, among other places. The tours caused discomfort among some members who elected not to attend, particularly because of the presence of spouses.
A survey on these familiarization trips was distributed to all senators in recent months and a majority are now pushing for tighter rules, sources told Radio-Canada.
The standing committee is expected to announce in the coming weeks whether it will further regulate that type of tour.
