The Conservatives are calling for an inquiry into the government’s “appalling” expenditures on Canadian ISIS women returning home from Syria.
A letter signed by Tory MPs on Friday asked the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security to convene immediately to deal with the matter.
The move came after Global News reported that declassified documents showed Ottawa spent at least $170,000 on the women and their children.
The money paid for costs incurred when eight women who had travelled to Syria to join the Islamic State returned to Canada with their kids in 2022 and 2023.
Expense reports released under the Access to Information Act showed business class flights, stays at a Marriott hotel, room service, junk food and alcohol.
Among the expenses, which were for both the families and government staff, was a $95 wine tab, $24 sandwiches and purchases of chips, chocolate bars and Timbits, as well as a $2,800 catering fee for a banquet.
“The fact that these items were purchased for those detained as alleged terrorists is appalling in itself,” the MPs wrote in a letter addressed to committee chair Jean-Yves Duclos.
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“With Canadians lining up in food banks in record numbers and struggling with housing costs, the Liberal government must answer for why they spent $170,000 on lavish costs to repatriate reported ISIS criminals.”
The letter, obtained by Global News, said the opposition was “calling for the committee to be immediately recalled to launch a full inquiry into this matter.”
Under parliamentary rules, if four members of a committee, representing at least two political parties, request a meeting, the clerk must do so within five days.
The Bloc representatives of the committee would have to sign on before it would prompt a meeting.
Global News requested details on the costs of the repatriations under the Access to Information Act two years ago. The department did not release any materials until Aug. 7, 2025.
Even then, they do not cover the full costs associated with the repatriation. Global Affairs Canada said it was still consulting with a foreign government about releasing those.
The women were living in B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec when they travelled to Syria and Iraq to live under ISIS rule.
All were eventually captured when ISIS fell to U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters and an international coalition that included the Canadian Forces.
The federal government agreed to bring the women and children back to Canada after their families launched a case in the Federal Court demanding their return.
In a statement to Global News, Global Affairs declined to answer questions about its expenses or disclose the full costs associated with repatriating the Canadians.
“While we cannot comment on specific expenditures related to the operation, Global Affairs Canada assumed certain immediate costs to support the safe return and well-being of the women and children repatriated to Canada,” it said.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
