Prime Minister Justin Trudeau managed to rack up a $71,000 food bill during a four-day trip to Italy and Switzerland, more than half of which was spent on airplane fare alone.
According to government records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, at least $43,000 was spent on dining in the sky.
Each member of the Canadian delegation cost more than $1,700, with the average meal cost hitting $145.
That’s no small feat considering Canada’s most recent Food Price Report said that an average family of four spends about $1,400 on food per month.
“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 CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano. “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.”
While Canadians increasingly line up at food banks, Trudeau’s taxpayer-funded trip could have been even higher, the records note, as “some accommodations were covered by Global Affairs Canada.”
Records from the Department of National Defence and the Privy Council Office also revealed that total expenses for the four-day trip fell just shy of $1 million.
The prime minister and his entourage travelled to Europe earlier this summer to attend the G7 Summit and the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, leaving taxpayers with a bill of at least $918,000, spent from June 13 to 16.
Before the plane had left the tarmac, bureaucrats had already spent $812 on junk food from a grocery store which included Redbulls, pop, chocolate bars and candy.
An additional $102 was spent on DVDs purchased from a record store for their in-flight viewing enjoyment.
CTF noted that the DVDs included, “the first season of Wednesday, a supernatural coming-of-age TV show based on the Addams Family, Madame Web, a superhero film, the sci-fi thriller Chronicle, and Witness, a 1995 crime movie starring Harrison Ford.”
“I like Sydney Sweeney as much as the next guy, but maybe Trudeau could do some actual work or download a movie on Netflix the next time he flies, instead of billing taxpayers for a DVD copy of Madame Web,” added Terrazzano. “While he’s at it, maybe Trudeau could forgo the Swiss chocolate cake while Canadians back home are lining up at food banks in record numbers.”
“Veal piccata Milanese with potato, buttered green peas and broccoli, and lamb ribs with whole grain mustard sauce, rice pilaf and sauteed spinach” were on the menu for the plane ride.
As well as “cheese ravioli with rose sauce, roasted red peppers and parmesan cheese, grilled chicken with lemon caper sauce, mashed potatoes and glazed carrots, and beef stroganoff with buttered noodles and snow peas.”
However, it wouldn’t be fine dining with the pairing of a 2021 Chardonnay, a 2015 Riesling, a 2018 Baco Noir and a 2021 Merlot.
No meal is complete without dessert, which is why Trudeau and delegates ordered raspberry cheesecake coulis, chocolate and pistachio cake and Swiss chocolate cake.
Records reveal that the prime minister was joined by several dozen people, including two coordinators of digital and creative content, a videographer, and a photographer, according to the records.
The Liberals seem to have lost the plot when it comes to trying to reduce government spending.
In 2022, Stewart Wheeler, who was Canada’s chief of protocol at the time, told a Parliamentary committee the government would bring down the cost of international travel.
“We recognize that the system that we had in place was not delivering the kind of oversight and control that Canadian taxpayers deserve,” said Stewart Wheeler in 2022, who was Canada’s chief of protocol at the time.
His comments were in response to Governor General Mary Simon being caught spending $100,000 on inflight catering during a nine-day trip to the Middle East in March of that year,
“The government promised to bring the cost of international travel down, but taxpayers are still getting stuck with outrageous bills,” said Terrazzano. “The government needs to figure out how to fly overseas without spending more on food in a few days than four families spend on groceries in an entire year.”
