Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Can you explain the budget, because I see here it’s $134,764, and it includes transportation for four senators at $16,000 each for $74,600, accommodations for seven nights at $820 per night, per diems, taxis and a charter bus? Could you explain exactly why the budget is so expensive?

Senator Black: Thank you for your question, senator. As you well know, when we submit a budget, we have to submit it at the largest possible number. Taking into account the maximum number that could travel as well as the high cost — in this case, the euro is trading high against the Canadian dollar right now, inflating a budget prepared in our currency. As well, travelling in the summer is vastly more expensive, as tourism returns to pre‑pandemic levels. The timing chosen is to guarantee senator attendance at the Global Soil Partnership Soil Plenary Assembly, as well as engaging with integral stakeholders and experts. Unfortunately, these are just a few of the difficulties we’ve had when we put together the budget.

The cost of the accommodations is the maximum that we found. We will look for less expensive accommodations. We’ve also put on a larger dollar for bus travel in case we have to travel from outside the area to get a cheaper rate on accommodation.