Trudeau Liberals spent $10,900 to find Bill Morneau a new job—he didn’t get it

Morneau ultimately did not get the job with the OECD, and the price tag does not include payment to 19 employees who worked part-time on Morneau's failed campaign for Secretary General.

The number includes $176 spent on "materials and supplies," $3,089 on translation services, and $6,507 on "hospitality" for the multi-millionaire, who boasts a net worth of over $40 million.

Morneau sought the position with the OECD after being forced to resign as Finance Minister in the wake of the WE Charity scandal. Morneau had failed to recuse himself from the meeting where WE Charity was designated to receive a sole-sourced contract to run a summer jobs program during the coronavirus pandemic despite having received tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts from the charity and having a daughter who worked for them.

The Office of the Ethics Commissioner has not yet released a full report on whether Morneau violated the Conflict of Interest Act.

Morneau would have been the first Canadian to serve as Secretary General of the OECD since former Treasury Board president Don Johnston served in that position in 1996. He was ultimately eliminated from the nomination process in the second of five rounds of voting.

"This result was not what Canada hoped," wrote the Foreign Affairs Department. "The Government of Canada was disappointed to learn Bill Morneau did not obtain sufficient support to become the next secretary-general of the OECD. Bill Morneau was an ideal candidate."

Former Australian Finance Minister Mathias Cormann ultimately won the election for General Secretary.