The federal government is brushing off criticism of its plan to spend $7.5 million to celebrate the Queen's 60th anniversary on the throne.

There has been some grumbling from anti-monarchists, notably in Quebec, that the Diamond Jubilee would cost so much money at a time of deep budget cuts.

But Heritage Minister James Moore has an answer for those critics.

He says the federal government has spent way more on other celebrations — including the 400th anniversary of Quebec City in 2008.

Moore tells The Canadian Press that the Quebec City anniversary celebrations cost $100 million — or more than 13 times the sum currently being spent to celebrate the Queen.

The celebrations have been criticized by anti-monarchists outside Quebec, and six MPs from Quebec have refused to accept the Jubilee medals they've been invited to hand out.

Opponents of the celebration note that Australia, which is also a Commonwealth member, isn't spending any money to celebrate the anniversary.

But Moore says this year's criticism is nothing new. A decade ago, for the Queen's Golden Jubilee, Moore recalls there were dozens more MPs, led by the once-thriving Bloc Quebecois, who refused to participate.