Remember when Health Minister Mark Holland chastised Canadians for taking road trips this summer?Turns out Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has him — and you — beat. By a long shot.Between June 1 and September 12, Trudeau logged an astonishing 92,104 kilometres across 58 trips, enough air travel to circle the globe twice. In just three months, Trudeau logged more air miles than the first seven months of 2024 combined, burning close to 300,000 litres of fuel in the process. That’s enough fuel to fill nearly 3,000 Ford F-150 trucks or a mid-sized swimming pool.The PM’s extensive jet travel over the summer has sparked criticism as Canadians face steep hikes in carbon taxes, now at $80 per tonne of CO2. This heavy reliance on air travel sharply contrasts with his own government’s messaging on climate action and carbon reduction..In all, Trudeau took 58 flights this summer on CanadAir jets, including five overseas jaunts to locales like Zurich to attend the WEF forum.The flights emitted over 720 tonnes of carbon dioxide—equivalent to the annual emissions of 117 average Canadians. By the government’s own calculations, each tonne of CO2 carries a “social cost” of $266. So, Trudeau’s 92,000 km of summer air travel imposed an estimated $191,500 in environmental damage, according to his own government.That didn’t stop him from lecturing Canadians when Parliament returned on September 18.“Every Canadian, except perhaps the Canadians in the Conservative Party of Canada, understands that the costs of inaction on climate change will be catastrophic,” he said, citing “wildfires, droughts, floods and hurricanes.”Holland himself can possibly be regarded as an even bigger hypocrite for preaching to the converted back in June.That’s whn he lectured holiday goers: “You can take a summer of fun time vacation where you’re locked in a car for ten consecutive days nonstop with no bathroom breaks … and the cost? Give up the future of the planet … enjoy your ten hours in the car and let the planet burn.”While most reasonable voices understand that the prime minister needs to travel across six time zones, the sheer volume of Trudeau’s summer air travel raises questions about his commitment to climate responsibility.Especially when nearly a dozen flights were less than 500 kilometres duration, from Ottawa to Toronto or Montreal.That’s where a little more perspective is in order. According to the most recent cost estimates published by the Canadian Armed Forces, the Challenger goes through 1,172 litres of fuel for every hour it’s in the air while the Polaris consumes 5,860 litres of fuel per hour. The government’s own calculations estimate that Trudeau’s travel alone caused about $200,000 worth of damage to the climate, using a “social cost” of $266 per tonne of CO2 emitted.The timing of Trudeau’s heavy air travel is particularly striking. Just as his government is asking Canadians to bear the financial burden of carbon taxes to combat climate change, the Prime Minister’s own actions suggest a different standard. Yet, Trudeau’s extensive jet travel continues unchecked, despite the government’s call for Canadians to limit their own emissions.Although the RCMP forbids him to travel commercial for security reasons, other world leaders — including those in the UK and Germany — frequently fly commercial for both domestic and international travel.With the Trudeau government pushing policies that ask Canadians to sacrifice for the climate after quadrupling carbon taxes in less than five years, the prime minister minister’s personal carbon footprint stands out as a glaring contradiction and risk undermining the credibility of his climate agenda.And that doesn’t even include the emissions from heating his home in Rideau Cottage, a 19th Century villa he has lived in with his family since being elected in 2015.
Remember when Health Minister Mark Holland chastised Canadians for taking road trips this summer?Turns out Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has him — and you — beat. By a long shot.Between June 1 and September 12, Trudeau logged an astonishing 92,104 kilometres across 58 trips, enough air travel to circle the globe twice. In just three months, Trudeau logged more air miles than the first seven months of 2024 combined, burning close to 300,000 litres of fuel in the process. That’s enough fuel to fill nearly 3,000 Ford F-150 trucks or a mid-sized swimming pool.The PM’s extensive jet travel over the summer has sparked criticism as Canadians face steep hikes in carbon taxes, now at $80 per tonne of CO2. This heavy reliance on air travel sharply contrasts with his own government’s messaging on climate action and carbon reduction..In all, Trudeau took 58 flights this summer on CanadAir jets, including five overseas jaunts to locales like Zurich to attend the WEF forum.The flights emitted over 720 tonnes of carbon dioxide—equivalent to the annual emissions of 117 average Canadians. By the government’s own calculations, each tonne of CO2 carries a “social cost” of $266. So, Trudeau’s 92,000 km of summer air travel imposed an estimated $191,500 in environmental damage, according to his own government.That didn’t stop him from lecturing Canadians when Parliament returned on September 18.“Every Canadian, except perhaps the Canadians in the Conservative Party of Canada, understands that the costs of inaction on climate change will be catastrophic,” he said, citing “wildfires, droughts, floods and hurricanes.”Holland himself can possibly be regarded as an even bigger hypocrite for preaching to the converted back in June.That’s whn he lectured holiday goers: “You can take a summer of fun time vacation where you’re locked in a car for ten consecutive days nonstop with no bathroom breaks … and the cost? Give up the future of the planet … enjoy your ten hours in the car and let the planet burn.”While most reasonable voices understand that the prime minister needs to travel across six time zones, the sheer volume of Trudeau’s summer air travel raises questions about his commitment to climate responsibility.Especially when nearly a dozen flights were less than 500 kilometres duration, from Ottawa to Toronto or Montreal.That’s where a little more perspective is in order. According to the most recent cost estimates published by the Canadian Armed Forces, the Challenger goes through 1,172 litres of fuel for every hour it’s in the air while the Polaris consumes 5,860 litres of fuel per hour. The government’s own calculations estimate that Trudeau’s travel alone caused about $200,000 worth of damage to the climate, using a “social cost” of $266 per tonne of CO2 emitted.The timing of Trudeau’s heavy air travel is particularly striking. Just as his government is asking Canadians to bear the financial burden of carbon taxes to combat climate change, the Prime Minister’s own actions suggest a different standard. Yet, Trudeau’s extensive jet travel continues unchecked, despite the government’s call for Canadians to limit their own emissions.Although the RCMP forbids him to travel commercial for security reasons, other world leaders — including those in the UK and Germany — frequently fly commercial for both domestic and international travel.With the Trudeau government pushing policies that ask Canadians to sacrifice for the climate after quadrupling carbon taxes in less than five years, the prime minister minister’s personal carbon footprint stands out as a glaring contradiction and risk undermining the credibility of his climate agenda.And that doesn’t even include the emissions from heating his home in Rideau Cottage, a 19th Century villa he has lived in with his family since being elected in 2015.
