Prime Minister Justin Trudeau received criticism after a video surfaced suggesting he and his family did not wear masks on a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) plane to Costa Rica.
A video posted to Twitter showed the Trudeaus disembarking their plane in Costa Rica Monday, with none of them wearing masks. It is unclear if masks were worn inside the plane.
The prime minister is headed to the Central American country for a two-week vacation and is planning to stay at the same place where he vacationed in 2019.
According to the feds, “all passengers (on planes) must wear a mask throughout their entire journey except for brief periods while eating, drinking, or taking oral medication, or unless otherwise exempt.”
The Trudeau government says the rules apply on flights to, from and within Canada, regardless of one’s vaccination status.
True North reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Department of National Defence, who is responsible for the government’s fleet, to ask if Trudeau’s flight was not subjected to a mask mandate.
Neither party responded in time for publication.
Many critics pointed out Trudeau’s Covid hypocrisy as the government continues to enforce travel mandates.
Conservative Party of Canada transport critic Melissa Lantsman tweeted “rules for thee, but not rule for me” and called on the Covid theatrics to end for all Canadians.
Conservative Party leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre also commented on the matter, calling it “unmasked hypocrisy.”
“Trudeau demands you still wear a mask on planes and trains. But on his private jet to a Costa Rican vacation, the masks come off,” said Poilievre on social media.
According to the Canadian Press, Trudeau is required to fly on an RCAF aircraft for security reasons. The Trudeaus’ 2019 vacation cost taxpayers nearly $200,000, according to records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
Some have also questioned if there is a need for Trudeau to fly on an RCAF plane for a personal vacation, given that other world leaders including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have flown economy class on personal trips.
This is not the first time that Trudeau has been accused of mask hypocrisy. The prime minister previously made a maskless appearance on a B.C. train, while he continues to enforce a mask mandate on federally regulated trains like Via Rail.
