Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is flying out and in of Bermuda on Wednesday, the place he’ll ship a eulogy on the funeral for Peter Inexperienced, an in depth household buddy.
Trudeaus have been associates with the Inexperienced household because the Nineteen Seventies. Pierre Trudeau was godfather to Peter Inexperienced’s son Alexander, who delivered a studying at Trudeau’s funeral in Montréal.
Pierre Trudeau additionally spoke on the funeral of Peter Inexperienced’s spouse in Edmonton in 1990, following her dying from most cancers on the age of 38.
This previous Christmas, Trudeau and his household stayed on the Prospect Property resort close to Ocho Rios in Jamaica that was owned by Inexperienced.
The Prospect Property is famous amongst a few of the wealthiest and strongest households around the globe. Over the many years, dignitaries like Winston Churchill, Henry Kissinger and Prince Phillip have stayed there, typically planting a tree in reminiscence of their go to.
The PMO initially mentioned Justin Trudeau paid for his household’s lodging throughout the Christmas journey in 2023, a keep that some have estimated to be price as a lot as $84,000. His workplace later mentioned the household stayed without cost at Inexperienced’s resort.
The Prime Minister’s Workplace (PMO) informed Radio-Canada that the battle of curiosity and ethics commissioner was consulted earlier than the Jamaica journey to make sure all guidelines have been revered and was given the inexperienced gentle.
Ethics commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein informed a parliamentary committee that the foundations that governing presents and journey MPs can settle for embrace exceptions for presents and journey supplied by associates or household.
Alexander Inexperienced is seen performing a studying on the funeral of Pierre Elliott Trudeau in 2000. (Radio-Canada)
“What now we have right here is clearly a beneficiant reward between people who find themselves associates and I do not see why, simply because they’re well-off, they can not alternate presents,” von Finckenstein mentioned of the journey.
The ethics commissioner was not consulted on the Bermuda journey as a result of the prime minister is not going to be accepting any presents whereas within the nation.
The PMO mentioned that Trudeau “can pay the equal of a industrial airline ticket for his private journey and that of his accompanying members of the family” who fly on the federal government airplane. For safety causes, Trudeau doesn’t fly industrial.
Prices of Jamaica journey to go to Greens
Whereas the lodging for the journey have been a present, the prime minister’s 10-day household trip to the island nonetheless price taxpayers $230,442.
In response to paperwork tabled within the Home, the biggest single expense for the Jamaica journey was $162,051 for the RCMP officers who accompanied the Trudeau household.
The journey was significantly pricey as a result of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) airplane that introduced the household to Jamaica had mechanical issues, forcing the CAF to ship a second airplane with a crew to repair it.
The paperwork tabled within the Home report that the second airplane accounted for $20,835 of the $57,553 the journey price the armed forces.
A Privy Council Workplace (PCO) worker charged with making certain the prime minister had entry to safe communications price taxpayers a further $10,838.
Pierre Trudeau stayed on the Prospect Property for the primary time in 1975 throughout an official keep in Jamaica.
In 2021, the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Basis introduced {that a} donation from the Inexperienced household made it doable to determine the Mary-Jean Mitchell Inexperienced Scholarship, in reminiscence of their mom.
The Basis’s management scholarships fund doctoral analysis. Students can obtain a most of $180,000 over three years to cowl issues like tuition charges, analysis and journey.
NDP deputy chief Alexandre Boulerice despatched his condolences to Trudeau over the lack of his buddy, however questioned the prime minister’s use of a Challenger jet to attend the funeral.
“Whether or not it is for Trudeau or [Stephen] Harper earlier than him, the non-public use of the Challenger plane ought to be reimbursed in full,” Boulerice informed Ontario Chronicle. “Sadly, this is not the primary time we have seen this type of behaviour — Trudeau does not appear to be taking classes from his previous errors.”
