The Senate is tightening its rules on language immersion trips after Radio-Canada’s reporting on a Quebec senator’s English classes in Vancouver that cost taxpayers nearly $22,000.
From now on, spouses will not be reimbursed for taking English or French classes. And if a senator decides to bring their spouse along for the trip, travel expenses will no longer be reimbursed by the Senate.
Senators will still be able to enrol in language classes. But they will now have to favour options in the Ottawa area or in their province of residence when possible.
The Senate’s human resources department will have to approve any language training requests in advance.
The Senate’s standing committee on internal economy, budgets and administration (CIBA) adopted the new rules on Thursday.
Earlier this week, Radio-Canada revealed that Sen. Amina Gerba had travelled to Vancouver with her husband two summers in a row, taking five days of English classes each time.
The training cost Gerba and her husband just over $3,000 in total, but the travel expenses for the trips — including business-class airfare — amounted to nearly $19,000.
After Radio-Canada’s report was published, a spokesperson for the senator pointed out that Gerba had not broken any rules and this type of language study trip was “common and had been practised for years by several senators.”
In recent years, English-speaking senators have travelled to Quebec for French immersion programs, but the total cost for a similar number of hours of instruction was lower, according to public data from the Senate.
“I am very pleased with the decision,” said Sen. Éric Forest, a member of CIBA and chair of the Senate’s subcommittee on estimates.
“All senators complied with the rules, but there were some activities that could be questioned.”
The Senate standing committee on internal economy will also be examining guidelines for “regional familiarization” trips in the coming weeks.
In June, Radio-Canada revealed the existence of these tours, notably in Alberta, with stops at the Calgary Stampede and Lake Louise. The tours made some senators who didn’t attend uncomfortable because of the presence of spouses.
Sources told Radio-Canada a survey on these familiarization trips was distributed to all senators in recent months and a majority of them favour stricter rules.
