Prime Minister Justin Trudeau enjoyed a holiday vacation at a luxury Jamaican villa, reportedly costing over $9,300 per night, without bearing any expenses.
Trudeau spent ten days in Jamaica with his three children and ex-wife, Sophie.
The location of the Trudeau family’s stay, initially undisclosed by the PMO, came to light through social media. Photos showed two family members unwinding by the pool at the Frankfort villa, an exclusive beachfront section of the Prospect Estate resort near Ocho Rios.
This resort is under the ownership of businessman Peter Green’s family, who have longstanding connections with the Trudeau family, a relationship tracing back to the 1970s through Trudeau’s late father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
The Frankfort, one of five rentable villas at the resort, has a premium rate during the Christmas period. During the holidays, it commands a nightly price of $7,000 USD. The Trudeau family’s nine-night stay in Jamaica would tally up to approximately $84,000 in Canadian currency.
Only after media probing did the PMO release a statement claiming that Trudeau’s family vacationed “at no cost at a location owned by family friends,” according to the National Post.
“As per standard practice, the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner was consulted on these details prior to the travel to ensure that the rules were followed,” said Trudeau’s press secretary, Mohammad Hussain.
However, this statement contrasts with the PMO’s initial claims, where they informed The Canadian Press that Trudeau would be personally financing his family’s stay in Jamaica.
Trudeau covered some expenses for his family’s air travel from Ottawa to Jamaica. Due to security protocols, the prime minister is required to use government aircraft for personal vacations.
Following a precedent set by former prime minister Stephen Harper, Trudeau reimbursed the government for the cost equivalent to commercial flight tickets. However, this amount falls short of the substantially higher operational costs of the government aircraft.
In April, True North reported on the scrutiny surrounding Trudeau regarding a possible conflict of interest concerning his December 2022 visit to Prospect Estate, owned by the Green family. This was due to historical donations made by the Green family to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, an organization with links to the prime minister’s family.
Trudeau was questioned about his trip last year in the House of Commons by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre at the time. Trudeau said that Poilievre struggled with the concept of friendship.
“My father was godfather to one of their kids; their father was godfather to one of my brothers. This is 50 years of friendship,” said Trudeau.
The incident is reminiscent of a previous ethics violation by Trudeau in 2016 when he and his family vacationed on Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas. Khan is an old friend of the Trudeaus.
Former ethics commissioner Mary Dawson ruled this trip a conflict of interest, as it involved accepting “gifts or advantages” that could influence government policy.
The Conservative Party posted to X about Trudeau’s recent trip.
“A Prime Minister who takes a free $84,000 vacation proves that he’s out of touch with the struggles of everyday Canadians,” said the Party.
