A beleaguered Trudeau minister did not join fellow Swifties after all, following swift backlash for accepting taxpayer-funded tickets.

Harjit Sajjan, the Emergency Preparedness Minister, was set to party with the pop star on Friday, alongside his daughter. Opposition MPs assert he only received those tickets owing to his access to the prime minister.

PavCo, the provincial Crown corporation that owns and operates BC Place in Vancouver, where Swift performed, invited 120 guests across three shows that weekend. 

Opposition MPs assert Harjit Sajjan, a federal cabinet minister, only received VIP tickets for himself and his daughter because of his access to the prime minister, who also attended a Taylor Swift concert.

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— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) December 5, 2024

Carson Binda, the B.C. Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), says politicians should donate PavCo’s tickets to charity instead of pocketing them themselves.

PavCo donated Swift tickets to food banks and other charities, raising more than $1 million for their respective campaigns.

Minister Sajjan gave $1,500 to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank in lieu of payment for the tickets, and is not asking for his donation back, a spokesperson told CBC News.

The spokesperson confirmed Sajjan returned the tickets on Friday for others to attend in his stay.

Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan defends accepting taxpayer-funded tickets to a Taylor Swift concert in B.C. for himself and his daughter. pic.twitter.com/OnPfHjOGPK

— True North (@TrueNorthCentre) December 4, 2024

The minister initially justified taking the free tickets by noting the proceeds went to a worthy cause. “This is actually supporting a very good cause, something that Taylor Swift also supports as well,” he told reporters last week. “I'm actually very happy to be able to raise money and create greater awareness for the food bank.”

WATCH: @Franco_Nomics of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation joined The @EzraLevant Show to discuss the 2024 "Teddy Waste Awards."

The awards are given out annually by @taxpayerDOTcom to shine light on the worst instances of government waste.

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— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) May 13, 2024

Conservative MP Michael Barrett deplored the minister taking two tickets at the behest of the Crown corporation. 

“He’s only receiving that gift because of who he is and his access to the prime minister ... It’s absolutely inappropriate,” he said.

Barrett concurred that Sajjan should give them to charity “because it’s the right thing to do, not to get himself out of some kind of ethical conundrum.”

Sajjan only accepted the tickets after receiving clearance from the Ethics Commissioner, reported Global News.

WATCH: @franco_nomics of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation joins The @EzraLevant Show, where he tells guest host @SheilaGunn Reid how the Trudeau Liberals' bureaucratic hiring spree is driving up debt for Canadians.https://t.co/71eVdOJF2S

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) July 24, 2024

Franco Terrazzano, also from the Taxpayers Federation, said it’s “outrageous” the minister accepted taxpayer-funded tickets.

“Sajjan already takes a $300,000 taxpayer-funded salary so if he wants to go to a concert he can and should pay for the tickets himself,” he told Rebel News.

The minister and his family already purchased four tickets for a Toronto Swift concert but sold them at cost in place of the Vancouver venue.

Swift finished the Eras Tour on Sunday, performing nearly 150 times across five continents since March 2023.

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