Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s controversial vacation to Jamaica last Christmas cost Canadian taxpayers far more than a trip to the same destination a year ago, CBC News has learned. Ta.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 10-day vacation with his family to Prospect Estate near Ocho Rios cost taxpayers $230,442, according to the government’s response to questions submitted this week by Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer. This is a 42% increase compared to the $162,000 cost of a similar trip. From 2022 to 2023 over the Christmas holidays.
Trudeau’s most expensive vacation as prime minister to date was a visit to the Aga Khan on a private island in the Bahamas, costing taxpayers $271,000 and violating parliamentary ethics rules. It was ruled that.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office initially said he paid for his family’s accommodation during their visit to Jamaica, which some estimates put the cost at $84,000. Trudeau’s office later corrected him, saying he stayed for free at a resort owned by Peter Green, a longtime family friend of his.
Prime Minister Trudeau defended his visit to Jamaica, saying the family was vacationing and staying with friends, like any other Canadian family, and all rules were followed.
Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finkenstein said Prime Minister Trudeau’s office consulted with his office before he traveled to Jamaica. He said the rules governing gifts and travel that members of Congress can accept make exceptions for gifts and travel provided by friends and family.
“What we have here is clearly a generous gift between friends, and I don’t see why they can’t exchange gifts just because they’re wealthy,” von Finkenstein told members of the House Ethics Committee. In January, during a public hearing while traveling.
The single largest expense on this year’s trip to Jamaica was for RCMP officers who accompanied the Trudeau family, according to documents placed in the House of Commons.
RCMP reported that the trip cost police $162,051, which does not include the officers’ regular salaries, but they did not provide a breakdown or provided officers with the cost of staying at a resort owned by a friend of the Trudeau family. He did not say whether he had paid.
This year’s trip to Jamaica also meant that the Canadian Forces plane that took him to the Caribbean island developed mechanical problems and CAF sent a second plane with a crew to Jamaica to repair it. It also became a hot topic for being forced to send it to .
Like other prime ministers, Trudeau is required to fly on government planes for safety reasons, and his commercial airfare will be reimbursed to the government if he travels for personal reasons.
According to documents submitted to the House of Representatives, Unit 2 accounted for $20,835 of the military’s $57,553 in travel expenses.
They also report that the mechanical problem the plane encountered was a failure of the Integrated Standby Instrument (ISI), which is “used as an alternative source of flight and navigation data.”
Retired Lt. Col. Dean Black said parts would have needed to be replaced for the plane to return safely to Canada.
“The integrated standby instrument (ISI) provides the flight crew with holding altitude, altitude, and airspeed information, which are critical data elements for the safe operation of an aircraft,” the longtime pilot said. .
Another mechanical failure caused the C-150 Polaris transporting Prime Minister Trudeau to and from the G20 summit to run aground in New Delhi, India, in September 2023.
The third government department to incur costs related to the tour is the Privy Council Office (PCO), which is staffed by staff tasked with ensuring the prime minister has access to secure communications. The PCO reported that the employee’s 15-day stay in Jamaica cost him $10,838, which included $2,681 for his AirBnB stay.
Documents obtained from the RCMP under the Access to Information Act also report that the incident occurred while Prime Minister Trudeau was in Jamaica.
RCMP reports ‘incident’ during Prime Minister Trudeau’s stay
Although the document is heavily redacted, officers reported that on Dec. 29, someone wanted to speak to the prime minister at the Frankfort vacation home where the Trudeaus were staying.
“(redacted) update. The person you wanted to meet with (redacted) has returned and now he is back with (redacted),” the officer wrote in an email. “The PPO spoke to him and advised him not to return. (redacted) agreed.
“Photos and vehicle information were shared with partners for situational awareness.”
The series of emails had the subject line “Comments about the location of X (Twitter)” and stated that the person had left a business card for the manager.
RCMP spokesperson Sergeant Kim Chamberland confirmed the incident happened, but said Trudeau was not in danger.
“RCMP spoke with the individual and the individual left without incident,” she said. “There was no need to involve local authorities. For privacy and security reasons, we cannot discuss any further details about the person or what triggered the incident. However, at no time during that time has the Prime Minister’s safety been put at risk. I can rest assured that there was no such incident. “
