Above: Sen. Noel Kinsella’s frequent trips to the Vaticn have come at a high cost to taxpayers, but not much explanation about what they’re gaining from it. Mike Le Couteur reports.

OTTAWA – For many Catholics, a pilgrimage to the Vatican is a once-in-a-lifetime event, but for the Speaker of Canada’s Senate, the trip is more frequent.

Noel Kinsella has taken five taxpayer-funded trips to the Holy City, often accompanied by his wife, while visiting Europe over the past seven years.

Back in 2010, Kinsella represented Canada at the canonization of Montreal’s Brother Andre, but the objectives of the other trips are more ambiguous.

Asked about the purpose of his many trips, Kinsella’s office responded: “Canada is the beneficiary of the knowledge and contacts that the Vatican has as a result of its extraordinary reach into all parts of the world.”

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Kinsella repeatedly denied Global News’ request for an interview to discuss his frequent visits, but official reports filed shed some light on what he did on his travels.

Audiences with the Pope, celebrating diplomatic relations, discussing faith in public life, and consolidating the relationship between the two states are among the ways Kinsella spent his time at the Vatican.

Educational exchanges also come up frequently in discussions Vatican officials have with Kinsella, who attended a pontifical university.

“Increasing such exchanges for both students and professors is not only beneficial to them personally, but it is also beneficial to the country as a whole,” read a statement from the Senate sent on Kinsella’s behalf.

The Vatican visits usually last only half a day and are part of parliamentary delegations making official visits to other locations in the region.

The total cost of the trips that included a stop at the Vatican is $255,000, although the price tag of the most recent trip this past September is not yet public.

The statement from the Speaker’s office said the visits were “very cost-effective,” as they were part of other official activities and layovers in Rome.

The money comes from funds designated for parliamentary associations and exchanges and approved by the Boards of Internal Economy of both the Senate and the House of Commons.

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If either Kinsella or his House of Commons counterpart, Andrew Scheer, wants to travel, both Speakers must sign off on the financial recommendation.

Kinsella’s wife’s travel is also covered by the taxpayer because the Speaker enjoys a special position when it comes to official government travel. He is the fourth in order of Canadian protocol after the Governor General, the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice.

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It is money well spent, according to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird.

“I think Senator Kinsella as Speaker of our upper house has been a good interlocutor between Canada and the Vatican, we certainly appreciate his work in that regard,” he said.

Canada also has a permanent diplomat assigned to the Vatican who is tasked with advocating Canadian foreign policy interests and societal values.

That should be enough, says NDP MP Charlie Angus, who questions why Kinsella has taken it upon himself to build bridges with the Vatican.

“How is it that they can decide that they can be ambassadors at large? Are they charging the taxpayers for these trips? If they’re charging the taxpayer, I think there needs to be some kind of accountability mechanisms,” he said.

Liberal Senator James Cowan didn’t know the specifics of Kinsella’s Vatican trips, but he has travelled with the Speaker in the past and says he works hard and represents Canada.

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“When we travel as parliamentarians then we are meeting with not just government, but opposition parliamentarians, people who are in civil society, whether they are lawyers or accountants or religious leaders and I think that it is a good thing for Canada,” he said. “It strengthens Canada’s image abroad. It strengthens Canada’s presence abroad and around the world.”

The next trip on Kinsella’s public schedule is to New Zealand in January, where he and Scheer will participate in the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth.