Johnston plans to release expenses

Former governor general David Johnston will present a report in the next few weeks detailing the expenses he’s incurred since leaving Rideau Hall, he said Tuesday, in contrast to the confidentiality covering similar expenses for his predecessor Adrienne Clarkson.

Johnston, who did not comment directly on Clarkson’s spending, said on Parliament Hill on Tuesday that public responsibilities continue after a governor general leaves the job and the Canadian government has made a decision to cover some of the costs related directly to those duties.

But he welcomed public scrutiny of his spending.

“It is very important for the public to take an interest in that to be sure the money is well spent,” Johnston told reporters, noting work can be done to make the process more open. “In my own case, we have just finished the first year since I stepped down and we will present a report.”

Johnston, who was governor general from October 2010 until October 2017, called the office of the governor general an important democratic institution when asked about the headlines Clarkson’s spending have garnered.

Clarkson, who left Rideau Hall in early 2005, has billed taxpayers for more than $1 million in expenses since leaving the job, according to public-accounts documents.