Records contradict Freeland — she was chauffeured in a car 14 times over two years

• By Tamara Ugolini

PETITION: Stop The Pay Hike

Canadian Members of Parliament will get a pay raise on April 1st, which is the same day that the government will hike the Carbon Tax. Sign our petition calling on Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to Stop The Pay Hike!

10,628 signatures
Goal: 15,000 Signatures

Optional email code

First Name

Last Name

Email

Mobile Phone

Send me email updates

Send me text message updates

Phone

Address (Street, City, State, Postal Code)

Country AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, the Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorth Macedonia, Republic ofNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet NamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland Islands

Secure

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has befallen controversy when account expenses contradicted her claim of not travelling within Toronto by car.

On Friday, Freeland told reporters she avoided car travel and attended meetings on foot or by public transit. 

“I don’t own a car because I live in downtown Toronto. I am like 300 metres from the nearest subway,” she said.

“I walk, I take the subway. I make my kids walk and ride their bikes and take the subway. It’s healthier for our family. I can live that way.”

However, expense records show Freeland used a chauffeured car 14 times in the past two years to attend “meetings and events” in Toronto, reported Blacklock’s Reporter. She last used a chauffeur on March 6.

And, as I said yesterday, in comments you cut out of your clip, I am both a downtown Toronto MP who rides her bike to work in the city, and a proud daughter of northern Alberta, who got her driver’s license on the day she turned 16.

— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) July 29, 2023

Chauffeur Daniel Labelle claimed expenses that day to support Freeland with “meetings and events” in Toronto and again on February 18 and 19, 2022. 

The chauffeur in 2021 billed for driving the minister in Toronto on April 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27, May 2 and 3, 5 and 6, again on May 25 and 26, July 28, 29 and 30 as either “ministerial transportation” or “transportation of the Minister.” 

According to records, she also billed Freeland for 28 days’ worth of meals and other expenses. 

However, the billings did not include Freeland’s use of a chauffeured car in Québec City last March 21 and 22, in Montréal last November 8, August 21 and 22 and April 11, and in Montréal again on July 19 and 20, 2021.

They also did not include chauffeured trips within Ottawa, reported Blacklock’s Reporter.

FLASHBACK: Chrystia Freeland's taxpayer-funded limo goes with her, even when she flies

Originally published January 28, 2020

I matched Chrystia Freeland’s flight records to her ministerial car logs. I uncovered some very strange travelling practices for a Minister who… pic.twitter.com/ky50whoASR

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) August 1, 2023

The finance minister’s claim of car-free travel followed her remarks last November 6 that she cancelled her Disney cable subscription to save $14 as a typical thrifty household. “Families are looking closely at their expenses,” she said.

Accounts also revealed that she chartered government aircraft to fly from Ottawa to Hamilton, Ontario, which is accessible by VIA Rail.

However, the minister contested the controversy as “blatant misinformation.”

“I ride my bike to meetings in Toronto because I live in the community I represent in the centre of this great city,” said Freeland. “And I take taxis to the airport.”

I have biked alongside @cafreeland to work. Recently we rode together to get to the announcement about the grocery rebate. I hear your talk @MelissaLantsman but the real world exists outside of your Twitter bubble, and out here…we are walking the walk and riding our bikes. pic.twitter.com/dvgiJt9TYT

— Julie Dabrusin (@juliedabrusin) July 31, 2023

Liberal MP Julie Dabrusin attempted to corroborate Freeland’s claim, insisting the two had bicycled together on government business, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. 

“I have biked alongside Chrystia Freeland to work,” tweeted Dabrusin. “Recently, we rode together to get to the announcement of the grocery rebate.”

“The real world exists outside of your Twitter bubble, and out here, we are walking the talk and riding our bikes,” added Dabrusin, with the MP posting a photo of herself and Freeland posing with their bicycles.