By Canadian Taxpayers Federation Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director, CTF——Bio and Archives--October 7, 2023
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The prime minister’s latest Tofino vacation cost taxpayers at least $287,285, bringing the total cost to taxpayers for the three vacations Trudeau has taken this year to more than $678,000. Our Investigative Journalist Ryan Thorpe dug up the details. The full story is below. Please let me know if you have any questions.-- Franco.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s vacation to Tofino, B.C., this August cost taxpayers at least $287,285, according to access-to-information records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
That brings the total cost for the three vacations Trudeau has taken this year to more than $678,000.
“Ordinary Canadians get to go on a big vacation every few years, but this is the third vacation Trudeau took this year and each one cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. “If Trudeau skipped just one of these vacations and instead stayed at his taxpayer-funded cottage at Harrington Lake, then he’d save taxpayers what most people make over a couple of years.”
Trudeau spent Aug. 10-18, 2023, in Tofino with his family. The Prime Minister’s Office told the press the Trudeaus would be paying for their own stay.
But RCMP security costs alone cost taxpayers at least $287,285, with the Mounties warning “additional payments may still be processed.”
That doesn’t include potential costs from the Privy Council Office or the Royal Canadian Airforce, as the family flew to B.C. on a government Bombardier Challenger jet.
Trudeau currently finds himself in hot water over another vacation, as CBC News reported this week that the prime minister’s recent Easter visit to Montana, U.S., cost taxpayers significantly more than disclosed
In response to an order paper question from Conservative MP Luc Berthold, the government reported to Parliament two weeks ago that Trudeau’s Easter vacation only cost taxpayers $23,846.
But that figure left out RCMP security costs, which pushed the bill up to $228,839.
Trudeau’s Christmas trip to a private resort in Jamaica, from Dec. 26, 2022, to Jan. 4, 2023, cost taxpayers $162,000.
Trudeau’s three vacations in the past year have cost Canadians more than $678,000. And there’s still three months left in the year.
“Trudeau’s vacations over the past year cost taxpayers the same amount as a nice family home in the suburbs,” Terrazzano said. “Most Canadians will be baffled by how expensive Trudeau’s vacations are for taxpayers and rightly demand the government figure out a way to bring these costs down.”
This isn’t the first time Trudeau’s vacations have sparked controversy.
Trudeau’s 2019 family vacation to Costa Rica cost taxpayers about $200,000.
Trudeau’s 2016 Christmas vacation to a private Bahamian island owned by the billionaire Aga Khan, breached government ethics rules and cost taxpayers $271,000.
For more information or to schedule interviews, please contact:
Franco Terrazzano
CTF Federal Director
Cell: 403.918.3532
Email: fterrazzano@taxpayer.com
Twitter: @franco_nomics
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