Alcohol, mini-golf helped double Canadian Senate's hospitality bill since 2019, says taxpayers group
Like the Members of Parliament in Ottawa, the 105 members of Canada’s Senate are getting a pay raise on April 1.
But before they receive a nearly $10,000 hike to their base salary of $184,800 , the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is calling out a handful of the worst offenders and some staff members for their part in more than doubling the Senate’s hospitality expenses since 2019.
Among the expenditures highlighted by the agency in a Thursday press release are tens of thousands of dollars spent on ritzy dinners, gifts for unnamed recipients, DJ services and even a team-building mini-golf excursion.
“Taxpayers are going to be outraged when they see how unelected senators are milking their expenses,” CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano said in the press release.
By the federation’s calculations of publicly available detailed expenditures , double checked by National Post, individual senators charged back a combined $116,100 in hospitality expenses in 2025, a 67 per increase over the previous year.
“I bet most Canadians don’t think the Senate is providing 67 per cent more value,” Terrazzano said.
While the Canadian Confederation was under debate in the 1860s, John A. Macdonald, who would become the nation’s first prime minister, argued that the Senate should be the “home of sober second thought in legislation.” Going back to 2019, however, CTF found the Senate spent $27,000 on alcohol purchased in Ontario and Quebec liquor and beer stores, as well as separate wineries. During his time as Speaker, former Newfoundland and Labrador Senator George Furey once expensed $1,600 in gifts from the Newfoundland Distillery Company.
In terms of dining, CTF identified nine separate catering costs totalling $20,500 billed to Le St-Estèphe across the river in Gatineau, Que. Based on their Facebook page, one of those events was the unveiling of Furey’s official portrait upon his 2023 retirement.
Gatineau-based Rivero Disco services were paid for three events, costing $2,100, and senators also spent $790 for bartending at a single event.
The Senate’s human resource department spent $644 on a “staff working session” at Ottawa’s now-closed Par-Tee Putt, and $210 on two more at a downtown escape room.
“Expenses are supposed to be used sparingly and for crucial work business,” Terrazzano said, accusing the Senate of bolstering perks on the taxpayers’ dime.
Among the top 10 biggest spenders annually since 2019 identified by CTF was Ontario Senator Yvonne Boyer, who racked up a combined $15,000, more than half of which ($8,000) was on gifts.
A “business meeting” for four at the Keg restaurant rang in at $340, while another for two people at a Cibo Wine bar in Toronto cost $100.
Meanwhile, Senator Bernadette Clement, also from Ontario, spent roughly $3,300 on gifts alone, and Newfoundland and Labrador Senator Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia spent $1,100 on a single business meeting for 20 people at India Gate Restaurant in downtown St. John’s.
“Just because it’s called the Red Chamber, it doesn’t mean senators should be driving Canadian taxpayers further into the red,” Terrazzano said. “Prime Minister Mark Carney needs to crack down on these frivolous and wasteful expenses.”
In addition to their base salary of $184,800, senators who occupy certain offices in the Senate are paid more. For instance, the Leader of the Government in the Senate — currently Pierre Moreau of Quebec–The Laurentides — is afforded an additional $100,000 annually. They also have separate budgets for living, office, travel and other expenses, as do the administration and committees.
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