Canadian taxpayers have faced an onslaught of jaw-dropping expenditures this year, with government spending sometimes leaving taxpayers scratching their heads.
While 2024 saw billions of taxpayer dollars wasted on things taxpayers might not agree with, some expenditures were less expensive but even more jaw-dropping and outlandish.
Here are some of the most ridiculous examples of how taxpayer dollars were spent in the past year. Not all of the spending occurred exclusively in 2024, but all of these expenditures came to the public’s attention this year.
Trudeau’s $71,000 food bill for a four-day trip
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s four-day trip to Italy and Switzerland racked up a $71,000 food bill, with $43,000 spent on dining aboard the government’s airplane.
“The per person food bill for Trudeau and his entourage on this trip was more than the average Canadian family spends on groceries in a month,” said Franco Terrazzano, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “It would have been cheaper for each member of the prime minister’s delegation to go to the Keg, order a prime rib steak, a Caesar salad, baked garlic shrimp, and a bottle of pinot noir for every meal.”
Meals included veal piccata and lamb ribs, paired with fine wines and Swiss chocolate cake.
Taxpayers cover $254,000 in travel for Climate Change Ambassador
Canada’s Climate Change Ambassador Catherine Stewart spent $254,000 on luxury travel in under two years, with hotel stays costing up to $623 per night.
Since her first day as ambassador, Stewart began taking international trips.
“Nothing screams fighting climate change like burning through jet fuel and taxpayers’ cash,” said Terrazzano.
One flight from Ottawa to Toronto cost $10,096, including airfare and a $323-per-night hotel. Other trips saw nightly high-end hotel costs of $390, $454, and $551.
$3 million spent on COP28 summit, including for climate “disinformation” rapper
A total of nearly $3 million was spent to send hundreds of people to Dubai for the COP28 summit, including $1.3 million to host a “Canada Pavillion.”
The summit featured rapper Baba Brinkman, son of Liberal MP Joyce Murray, performing a song on “climate disinformation.”
The Liberals sent at least 193 people to the COP28 summit between Nov. 20 and Dec. 12 in 2023.
The majority of hotels for the 193 people sent to Dubai by the Liberals cost between $150 and $400 a night. However, some attendees stayed at the Pullman Dubai Jumeirah Lakes Towers, with rooms costing $816 nightly.
Initially, reports estimated the trip to cost $1.4 million in total. However, the updated records tabled saw the price more than double to $2,954,188.
“Here’s a crazy idea: maybe the feds don’t need to spend $3 million flying 182 politicians and bureaucrats to Dubai,” said Terrazzano.
CBC hands out $18.4m in bonuses after layoffs and plummeting ratings
Normally, employees are afforded bonuses after they, and subsequently their businesses, succeed or surpass expectations. 2024 saw CBC take the opposite approach.
Despite mass layoffs and plummeting ratings, the CBC handed out $18.4 million in bonuses for fiscal year 2023-24. Executives received $3.3 million, averaging $73,000 each—exceeding Canada’s median family income.
“In a shocking display of incompetence and greed, the CBC has given itself $18.4 million in bonuses,” said Conservative MP Rachael Thomas.
Since 2015, the CBC has paid $114 million in bonuses while receiving a record $1.4 billion in taxpayer funding in 2024.
In total, 1,194 CBC employees received bonuses, including $10.4 million to 631 managers and $4.6 million to 518 non-union staff.
Over half a billion spent, zero guns collected
The Liberals’ gun buyback program was already subject to cost taxpayers over $100 million, yet no firearms have been collected since its inception. Despite this, the government allocated an additional $597.9 million over three years in the 2024 fall economic statement.
“The projected costs of the ‘buyback’ confiscation program are projected to blow into the billions with the number of guns affected,” said Tracey Wilson, vice president of public relations for the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights.
The program was initially granted $30.4 million under Budget 2024 “for the buyback of assault-style firearms.”
The most recent update on the program in the Fall Economic Statement reiterated that Canada intends to donate any confiscated firearms, assuming any ever actually get collected, to Ukraine.
Honourable mentions:
- Global Affairs Canada spent over $3M in taxpayer dollars on alcohol
- CRA paid out millions in illegitimate tax refunds to hackers
- Liberals paid out $3.5B in CEBA loans to illegitimate claimants
- Global Affairs Canada billed taxpayers $186M for real estate over last decade
- Taxpayers paid $27.3 million for bonuses at CMHC
- Honda gets $5B in subsidies to create 1,000 jobs
- Taxpayers paid $224 daily to accommodate illegal border crossings
