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Another trip, another tab. Government documents reveal that Justin Trudeau’s recent vacation in Jamaica cost almost $70,000 more than a similar trip to the same destination a year earlier.
The 10-day stay by the Prime Minister and his family at Prospect Estate near Ocho Rios, Jamaica, which began just after Christmas, cost taxpayers $230,442. In comparison, a similar journey during the 2022 Christmas holiday period came to $162,000.
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Trudeau did not pay for accommodations at the resort, but was put up for free by its owner, longtime family friend Peter Green. This was ruled OK by Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein, who noted that rules governing gifts to MPs can make an exception for those offered by friends and family.
Nevertheless, government documents show that the RCMP alone spent $162,051 on this latest trip “for the security of the Prime Minister and his family during their trip to Jamaica from December 26, 2023 to January 4, 2024.” The agency does not break down those costs or indicate how many personnel are involved, citing security issues.
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In addition, the RCAF spent just over $16,000 on accommodations, meals and per diems for its aircrew, and almost $42,000 on fuel and in-flight catering costs. This involved two flights to and from Jamaica: the first carrying the Prime Minister and his family; and the second when their plane had a mechanical problem, which necessitated a second flight to bring a replacement part.
The document notes that the repair itself didn’t cost anything. “The replacement part was pulled from readily available Defence inventory and was subsequently replaced at no-cost by the Original Equipment Manufacturer under the existing Bombardier CL650 warranty program,” it reads.
An additional amount of almost $10,000 covered the costs of a Privy Council Office employee who is responsible for setting up secure communications for the Prime Minister.
Furthermore, Franco Terrazzano, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, tweeted saying that the Prime Minister’s four vacations over a one-year span — twice to Jamaica, plus a trip to Tofino, B.C., last August and another to Montana in April — have cost taxpayers more than $900,000.
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The PM’s most expensive vacation was his trip to the private residence of the Aga Khan just after Christmas, 2016. That journey racked up costs of $271,000 and resulted in an investigation by then-Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson. She found that Trudeau had violated several sections of the Conflict of Interest Act, and that the Aga Khan was not, as he had claimed, “a close family friend.”
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