CBC News has uncovered that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Easter weekend vacation in Montana cost taxpayers nearly $250,000, significantly more than the number given to Parliament.
The final cost of the trip was $228,839, which was far more than the amount Trudeau reported to Congress.
CBC News has uncovered that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Easter weekend vacation in Montana cost taxpayers nearly $250,000, significantly more than the number given to Parliament.
The total cost of the April 6-10 trip is almost $228,839, and that’s just counting what the Canadian Armed Forces, the Privy Council Office, and the RCMP paid for themselves.
This amount does not account for the prime minister’s regular salary, the Royal Canadian Air Force aircrew’s salary, or the Privy Council official’s salary, who typically travels with the prime minister and provides him with the secure communication equipment he needs.
This estimate is far greater than the one the government gave to Parliament two weeks ago. In response to a question from Conservative MP Luc Berthold, the government has revealed that the Canadian Armed Forces and the Privy Council spent a total of $23,846 on the trip.
Expenses related to Trudeau’s vacation
The RCMP spent an additional $204,993 on overtime and other expenses related to Trudeau’s vacation, including lodging, food, transportation, and incidentals not included in the original estimate. This Monday, in response to a question from CBC News, the police department finally disclosed these expenditures.
Little is known about Trudeau’s whereabouts and activities during his long weekend in Montana according to the government’s responses.
On the evening of April 6th, the prime minister’s jet touched down in Bozeman, Montana, and on the evening of April 10th, it landed back in Ottawa.
Trudeau disclosed receiving a “ground security motorcade” from the United States Secret Service during a “private visit in Big Sky, Montana” in his files with the ethics commissioner’s office.
It takes roughly an hour to drive from Bozeman to Big Sky. Skiing and snowboarding in Big Sky attracts celebrities and the wealthy from all over the world.
Trudeau’s administration has been unresponsive to inquiries about his Montana travel, including where the prime minister slept, who accompanied him, and whether or not he paid for his lodgings. The government did not answer Berthold’s question by explaining why the RCMP’s expenses were kept secret.
“As per long-standing government policy and for security reasons,” Alison Murphy, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office, stated in an e-mail response.
Trudeau violates government ethics laws
Just like previous prime ministers, the current one will pay for his own and his guests’ equivalent commercial airfare on official trips taken for personal purposes.
Trudeau’s family holidays outside of Canada have already caused controversy. Canada’s ethics commissioner found that he had violated government ethics laws after he spent $271,000 of taxpayer money to visit the Aga Khan on a Bahamian island over the 2016–17 Christmas break.
The taxpayers spent at least $162,000 on a trip to a private estate in Jamaica from December 26th to January 4th of this year. Peter Green, the estate’s affluent owner, is a close friend of the Trudeau family and a generous donor to the Trudeau Foundation.
According to Melanie Rushworth, director of communications for the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner’s office, her department “would be involved only when the travel or stay could be considered a gift under the Conflict of Interest Act or the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons.”
The RCMP racked up the largest bill for the prime minister’s Montana trip, as is customary for such excursions. The police department spent $58,681 in overtime and an additional $146,312 on incidentals to ensure the safety of the prime minister and his family throughout the trip.
Aircrew lodging costs totaled $2,752, per diems totaled $1,756, and miscellaneous costs such as aviation fuel, catering, handling, and ground transportation totaled $13,396 as part of the Canadian Armed Forces’ answer to the order paper question.
The Privy Council had the lowest total spending, at $1,581. This includes $1,226 in lodging costs, $1,226 in food costs, $1,667 in travel costs, $26.72 in miscellaneous charges, and $1,438 in transportation costs.
