The federal government is keeping tight-lipped about one of the stranger questions to emerge from the summer’s Council of the Federation meeting in Muskoka: who, exactly, used Prime Minister Mark Carney’s hotel room while he spent the night at Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s cottage?

According to Order Paper Question Q-347, filed by Conservative MP Luc Berthold and answered November 5, the Privy Council Office (PCO) confirmed that Ottawa had no record of an unused hotel room for the Prime Minister — but stopped short of clarifying who, then, actually stayed in it.

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“The Privy Council Office is not aware of any accommodation expenses incurred related to unused rooms,” the official response reads.

The response leaves a gaping hole in the story. If the room wasn’t empty, someone else apparently enjoyed a taxpayer-funded bed — and the government isn’t saying who.

Records show the PCO spent $21,537.58 during the Muskoka event, including $11,138.31 for accommodations spread across three properties: Deerhurst Resort, Holiday Inn Express, and Tru by Hilton Bracebridge. Carney’s delegation included senior staffers, policy directors, photographers, videographers, and a full media advance team.

But when asked directly if the government paid for an unused room after Carney’s sleepover with Ford — or who used that room if not — the PCO’s answer was a bureaucratic shrug.

The non-answer has fueled speculation about who actually slept in the Prime Minister’s suite while he spent the night at Ford’s cottage. One thing’s clear: the taxpayer footed the bill — even if Ottawa insists no bed went unused.