Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is taking his vacation away from the country’s capital this year. According to his itinerary, he is scheduled to be in British Columbia as of Thursday, one day after Christmas, although no official plans were listed.
It was not immediately clear who he was travelling with or where he was staying.
Trudeau’s last posts on his X account were messages to Canadians, wishing them happy holidays and thanking those in the Canadian Armed Forces for their service. However, there was no mention of where he was headed this week.
The prime minister is likely going to enjoy some time skiing in the west coast province, per the Toronto Sun. The CANFORCE One aircraft left Ottawa International Airport on Dec. 26 at 9:20 a.m. but its destination was not shown on live flight tracking site Flightradar24.
Trudeau reportedly landed in Kelowna around 2 p.m. ET.
The office of the prime minister did not immediately respond to the National Post’s request for comment on his holiday plans.
Last year, Trudeau and his family travelled to Jamaica, a trip that cost taxpayers more than $230,000, the National Post reported in March. Some called the trip “tone deaf,” per The Hill Times. Trudeau was gifted a stay at a luxury estate near Ocho Rios, but managed to rack up a bill when it came to services provided by the government.
Some of those costs included security, fuel for the plane, and accommodations for the crew.
A similar trip around the holiday season in 2022 cost taxpayers $162,000 — significantly less than last year, but still substantial.
Back in 2016, Trudeau came under scrutiny when he was a guest of the Aga Khan’s private residence in the Bahamas along with his family. That trip cost $271,000, per the National Post. It drew the attention of Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson, who found he violated provisions of the Conflicts of Interest Act, CBC News reported.
More recently, Trudeau took a trip to Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida to visit president-elect and former president Donald Trump. It came as Canadians were concerned over Trump’s announcement that he would impose a 25 per cent tariff on imports to the United States from Canada.
Meanwhile, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre has a plan to move a non-confidence motion against the Liberals by the end of January, the National Post reported.
The motion could be a catalyst for a federal election.
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