Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s contentious vacation in Jamaica last Christmas incurred a significantly higher cost for Canadian taxpayers compared to his previous trip to the same destination the year before, as per CBC News findings.
As per the response to queries from Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer, Trudeau’s 10-day holiday with his family at Prospect Estate near Ocho Rios amounted to \(230,442, marking a 42 percent increase from the \)162,000 spent on a similar excursion during the 2022-23 Christmas holidays.
Trudeau’s most extravagant vacation during his tenure as prime minister was a visit to the Aga Khan on a private island in the Bahamas, which tallied up to $271,000 in taxpayer expenses and led to a ruling of ethics violation.
Initially, Trudeau’s office claimed he covered his family’s lodging expenses during the Jamaican trip, estimated at around $84,000. However, it was later clarified that Trudeau stayed at no cost at the resort owned by his long-time family friend, Peter Green.
In defense of the trip, Trudeau asserted that his family, like other Canadian households, took a holiday over the holidays and stayed with friends, maintaining that all protocols were adhered to.
Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein mentioned that Trudeau’s office consulted with his office before the Jamaica trip, emphasizing that exceptions are made in the rules governing gifts and travel for MPs when they are offered by friends or family.
The disclosed documents highlighted that the primary expense for this year’s Jamaica trip was the presence of RCMP officers accompanying the Trudeau family.
The trip incurred a cost of $162,051 for the RCMP, excluding the officers’ regular salaries, with no breakdown provided regarding whether the officers paid for their stay at the resort owned by the Trudeau family friend.
Additionally, a mechanical issue with the Canadian Armed Forces plane that transported Trudeau to Jamaica necessitated a second plane to be dispatched with a crew for repairs.
Trudeau, like all prime ministers, is mandated for security reasons to travel in government aircraft and reimburses the government for commercial airfare costs during personal trips.
The second plane accounted for 20,835 of the 57,553 total cost incurred by the armed forces for the trip, with the mechanical problem attributed to a malfunctioning Integrated Standby Instrument (ISI).
Moreover, the Privy Council Office (PCO) reported expenses related to an employee ensuring the prime minister’s access to secure communications during the 15-day stay in Jamaica, amounting to (10,838, including 2,681 for an AirBnB accommodation.
Documents from the RCMP revealed an incident during Trudeau’s stay in Jamaica, where an individual arrived at the villa seeking to speak with the prime minister. The RCMP confirmed the incident but assured that Trudeau’s security was not compromised.