The Canadian military was forced to send a second plane to Jamaica this week after the military plane that took Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the Caribbean island on a family vacation became “grounded,” CBC reported. I found out on the news.
Department of National Defense (DND) spokesperson Andre-Anne Poulain confirmed that two Royal Canadian Air Force CC-144 Challenger aircraft had traveled to Jamaica.
“The first aircraft transporting the Prime Minister’s party was grounded upon arrival,” she said in an emailed response. “Unit 2 brought a maintenance team to repair Unit 1 and remained in the area as backup for the Prime Minister’s departure if necessary.”
Prime Minister Trudeau was scheduled to return to Canada on January 4th. Poulin said the maintenance issue was discovered during an inspection of the aircraft on January 2, and a maintenance team was dispatched on January 3 to “return the aircraft to serviceable condition.”
Prime Minister Trudeau’s plane returned to Canada on January 4th.
The plane that took Prime Minister Trudeau to Jamaica and the plane that took the maintenance crew to Jamaica are two of the military’s new Challenger aircraft acquired in 2020.
This is the second time in less than four months that the plane transporting Prime Minister Trudeau has been grounded due to mechanical problems.
In September, Prime Minister Trudeau’s departure from India after the G20 summit was delayed for two days after pre-flight inspection revealed a part on his CC-150 Polaris was defective and needed to be replaced.
Prime Minister Trudeau, who must travel by military plane for security reasons, flew to Montego Bay, Jamaica, on Dec. 26 for a vacation with his family.
Prime Minister Trudeau’s office initially said he would pay for the family’s accommodation, but later said he and his family were staying in Jamaica “free of charge in a property owned by a family friend.” .
The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the aircraft issue on Friday, referring questions to the DND.
During Trudeau’s last vacation, a plane carrying the prime minister and his family flew to their destination, stayed nearby, and then flew them back to Canada.
Canada’s G20 delegation, including the prime minister, remains stuck in New Delhi due to problems with the aging government Airbus they were scheduled to return to. A replacement aircraft and parts were dispatched and returned to Canada.
On Wednesday, a second Challenger plane headed for Jamaica was spotted by flight tracking equipment. On Thursday afternoon, flight tracking sites showed both planes returning to Ottawa, with the second Challenger following closely behind the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Trudeau’s overseas vacations have sometimes been controversial. During a visit to the Aga Khan’s private island in 2016, former Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson found that he had violated a code of ethics that prohibits pastors from accepting gifts or other favors.
Trudeau insisted the trip did not violate regulations because the Aga Khan was a family friend, but Dawson said Trudeau and the Aga Khan had little contact in the decades before he became Liberal leader. It was concluded that there was no such thing.
