He spent $17,000 to fly Dominic Leblanc home after the cabinet shuffle, and then had the empty Challenger jet fly back to Ottawa. Trudeau also spent $10,000 for a 2 hour flight to Toronto for a photo op at a school.
A recent access to information request has revealed that Justin Trudeau spent thousands of dollars to be flown around for photo ops and cabinet shuffles. He spent $17,000 to fly Dominic Leblanc home after the cabinet shuffle, and then had the empty Challenger jet fly back to Ottawa. Trudeau also spent $10,000 for a 2 hour flight to Toronto for a photo op at a school.
This new information comes just days after another information request revealed Trudeau spent tens of thousands on luxury food items on his plane. This included a $2,000 seafood platter, $285 on Belgian waffles, and $412 on hot towels. On one occasion, $23,000 was spent on a single trip in his Challenger jet.
Based on the information provided, it is evident that Trudeau flew Dominic Leblanc to Ottawa on August 18, amid the cabinet shuffle. This reshuffling was due to disgraced Finance Minister Bill Morneau stepping down after his testimony to the Finance Committee, wherein he all but admitted to accepting money and gifts from the WE Charity. Leblanc became Minister of Intergovernmental affairs, as Chrystia Freeland became the new Finance Minister. It is now evident that Leblanc had a $17,000 trip back home to New Brunswick.
This was followed by the empty Challenger jet flying directly back to Ottawa.
Trudeau flew to Toronto on August 26, for a photo op at a school. This visit was widely criticized as a "campaign stop," as the Prime Minister held the photo-op with a family concerned about their children going back to school and announced federal funding for provincial school systems.
Speaking to The Post Millennial, Federal Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation Aaron Wudrick said that there was "simply no reason to spend thousands of dollars on a photo op during the middle of a pandemic."
"The PM did not need to be in Toronto for that. It was pure politics, there is zero value for taxpayers," he continued.
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
