The Trudeau family\u0027s weeklong Christmas vacation to Jamaica cost taxpayers nearly $160,000, according to documents.
Protecting the PM and his family during the trip cost the RCMP $115,526 — a number that includes $114,813 in travel costs, and $713 in overtime and shift differentials.That number does not include regular salary of protection detail members, or costs for supporting units, the response read.
While the exact role of the PCO during the trip wasn’t made clear in the documents, it did mention that a member of the office’s tour group branch was dispatched to set up secure communications for the prime minister.Article content “Support for the Prime Minister includes setting up a temporary secure office that provides secure communication capabilities and IT connectivity, which requires a PCO resource to set-up and support technology,” he said.
Neither the DND, RCMP or Privy Council Office answered questions on where the PM stayed in Jamaica, citing security concerns. “As per long-standing government policy and for security reasons, the Prime Minister must travel on government aircraft, whether he is on official or personal business,” read a statement sent to the National Post by the PMO.
At the same time the PM was vacationing in Costa Rica last August, former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie flew commercial to their honeymoon in Slovenia.Is it time for Canada to rethink this policy?