Canadians billed $532K for Carney’s two-day cabinet meeting

Canadians were billed over half a million dollars for Prime Minister Mark Carney to hold a two-day cabinet meeting in Toronto, surpassing the cost of Trudeau’s cabinet retreat.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Canadians were billed over half a million dollars for Prime Minister Mark Carney to hold a two-day cabinet meeting in Toronto, surpassing the cost of even former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet retreat.

According to financial records first obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Carney spent $532,000 in taxpayer funds to hold a meeting at the Pan Pacific, a “luxury hotel” in Toronto.

“If you’re spending thousands of dollars more than Trudeau on meetings, you’re spending too much money,” said CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano in a statement on Thursday.

“It’s going to be hard for politicians to explain to taxpayers why all of the meeting rooms in Ottawa weren’t good enough.”

The government records were submitted in response to an Order Paper Question, revealing that the Privy Council Office spent $250,400 on the venue and “hospitality.”

Another $78,700 was spent on audiovisual services, $40,000 for security, and $8,073 on shipping.

The PCO also dropped $38,300 on accommodation, meals and transportation.

However, the total bill to taxpayers may not be complete, as the PCO noted that such figures only include expenditures that were processed in September, the month the event took place.

“Certain associated travel claims and invoices may still be awaiting submission or receipt,” wrote the PCO.

Additionally, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police spent $29,000 on the cabinet meeting, according to expenditures processed as of September 17.

Meanwhile, interpretation services and travel for the Translation Bureau also racked up a bill of $30,600.

Finally, another $57,400 was spent by all other departments for the cabinet meeting on things such as transportation, with some ministers charging taxpayers for extra meals and accommodation for themselves and their staff.

Despite Carney’s campaign promise to rein in government spending, he’s already managed to outspend Trudeau.

When Trudeau held a cabinet retreat in Charlottetown, P.E.I., in August 2023 to discuss “affordability,” the final bill came in at $485,196.

The CTF noted that “even after adjusting for inflation, Trudeau’s cabinet retreat cost about $26,000 less than Carney’s.”

“Carney told Canadians he was going to cut waste, and he should start by not dropping half a million bucks on meetings,” Terrazzano said. “We need a culture change in Ottawa, and that needs to start with the prime minister and ministers respecting taxpayers’ hard-earned money.”