Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Canadian delegation spent $534,675 during their three-day trip to King Charles III's coronation.The total cost for the trip is likely to increase because they are still figuring out all the expenses. This information comes from records that the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) got through an Access to Information request.“The King’s coronation is a big event, but that doesn’t mean taxpayers should be paying half-a-million dollars so more than 100 people can travel to England,” said Franco Terrazzano, federal director of CTF. “It seems like this government goes out of its way to bring along as many people as possible and to stay in the fanciest hotels.”Canada sent a group of 102 people, with 87 going with Prime Minister Trudeau and 15 with Governor General Mary Simon. This means each person's trip cost about $5,241 for the three days.Trudeau's group spent $305,188 on rooms at the Edwardian Pastoria Hotels Ltd., a high-end luxury hotel chain in London. They also paid $45,760 at the Great Scotland Yard Hotel and $15,881 at the Southampton Row Hotel.Simon and her team spent $155,283 on London & Regional Hotel rooms.The officials spent $300 on wine and beer for the flights to London. After arriving, they also spent $555 at "Majestic Wine London," the records show.“Did taxpayers really need to pay for 102 people to travel to England, and did they each need to rack up an average bill of $5,000?” Terrazzano said. “And if bureaucrats want to delete a couple cold ones, they’re paid more than enough money to pick up the tab themselves.”King Charles III became king on September 8, 2022, after Queen Elizabeth II passed away. His coronation took place at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023.Along with Trudeau and Simon, the Canadian group included different government bureaucrats, a few indigenous leaders, some young leaders, and astronauts Jennifer Sidey-Gibbons and Jeremy Hanson, among others.Canada also sent a big group to Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral in September 2022, and the hotel costs for that trip were nearly $400,000.Among the expenses was a $6,000-a-night luxury suite at the Corinthia Hotel. This suite had a bathroom made of marble and offered “complimentary butler service.”When officials would not say who stayed in the River Suite, the CTF filed an Access to Information request. The government shared the records in response, but they redacted the name.The CTF then started a legal challenge to make the government reveal who stayed in the suite.During President Joe Biden's visit to Canada in March 2023, Trudeau finally confessed that he stayed in the $6,000-a-night luxury suite.The Toronto Sun obtained documents in February that showed government bureaucrats were concerned about how much hotels would cost for the King's coronation, especially after the earlier issue with the $6,000-a-night luxury suite.Davon Singh, director of the Executive Office and head of visits at Canada’s High Commission in London, wrote to a government bureaucrat at Global Affairs Canada. He asked if they should make the Canadian team smaller to save money.“Should we look into reduced numbers or stick with the amount you’ve currently sent us?” Singh wrote. “I think we should keep our current numbers,” read the response from the Visits Coordinator for Global Affairs Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Canadian delegation spent $534,675 during their three-day trip to King Charles III's coronation.The total cost for the trip is likely to increase because they are still figuring out all the expenses. This information comes from records that the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) got through an Access to Information request.“The King’s coronation is a big event, but that doesn’t mean taxpayers should be paying half-a-million dollars so more than 100 people can travel to England,” said Franco Terrazzano, federal director of CTF. “It seems like this government goes out of its way to bring along as many people as possible and to stay in the fanciest hotels.”Canada sent a group of 102 people, with 87 going with Prime Minister Trudeau and 15 with Governor General Mary Simon. This means each person's trip cost about $5,241 for the three days.Trudeau's group spent $305,188 on rooms at the Edwardian Pastoria Hotels Ltd., a high-end luxury hotel chain in London. They also paid $45,760 at the Great Scotland Yard Hotel and $15,881 at the Southampton Row Hotel.Simon and her team spent $155,283 on London & Regional Hotel rooms.The officials spent $300 on wine and beer for the flights to London. After arriving, they also spent $555 at "Majestic Wine London," the records show.“Did taxpayers really need to pay for 102 people to travel to England, and did they each need to rack up an average bill of $5,000?” Terrazzano said. “And if bureaucrats want to delete a couple cold ones, they’re paid more than enough money to pick up the tab themselves.”King Charles III became king on September 8, 2022, after Queen Elizabeth II passed away. His coronation took place at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023.Along with Trudeau and Simon, the Canadian group included different government bureaucrats, a few indigenous leaders, some young leaders, and astronauts Jennifer Sidey-Gibbons and Jeremy Hanson, among others.Canada also sent a big group to Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral in September 2022, and the hotel costs for that trip were nearly $400,000.Among the expenses was a $6,000-a-night luxury suite at the Corinthia Hotel. This suite had a bathroom made of marble and offered “complimentary butler service.”When officials would not say who stayed in the River Suite, the CTF filed an Access to Information request. The government shared the records in response, but they redacted the name.The CTF then started a legal challenge to make the government reveal who stayed in the suite.During President Joe Biden's visit to Canada in March 2023, Trudeau finally confessed that he stayed in the $6,000-a-night luxury suite.The Toronto Sun obtained documents in February that showed government bureaucrats were concerned about how much hotels would cost for the King's coronation, especially after the earlier issue with the $6,000-a-night luxury suite.Davon Singh, director of the Executive Office and head of visits at Canada’s High Commission in London, wrote to a government bureaucrat at Global Affairs Canada. He asked if they should make the Canadian team smaller to save money.“Should we look into reduced numbers or stick with the amount you’ve currently sent us?” Singh wrote. “I think we should keep our current numbers,” read the response from the Visits Coordinator for Global Affairs Canada.
