Trudeau's Asia trip with 51-person entourage cost taxpayers $2 million

The Canadian Press / Adrian Wyld

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s six-day trip with his son Xavier, under the guise of improving relations in the Indo-Pacific this past September, totalled nearly $2 million, with approximately $200,000 allocated for in-flight catering alone, documents reveal.

The journey saw Trudeau and his son — along with an entourage of 51 others — boarding a Royal Canadian Air Force CC-150 Polaris bound for Indonesia and Singapore, with a stopover in India for the G20 summit.

The stated aim was to collaborate with international allies on addressing prevalent issues like inflation and food and energy insecurity.

The RCMP admitted to not contacting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on yet another scandal, media reports allege — this time, an unsanctioned vacation paid for by federal contractor and billionaire, Aga Khan.

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Documents acquired via an access-to-information request revealed that the overall expenditure was a whopping $1,908,243.

This figure encompassed everything, including $190,000 for in-flight catering, $643,000 for aircraft handling and fuel fees, $422,000 for lodging, $129,000 for ground transportation, and $427,000 for RCMP security costs.

These numbers remained tentative pending the finalization of invoices and claims.

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Canadian Taxpayers Federation Federal Director Franco Terrazzano criticized the high costs, stating, "I guess one way to beat the high cost of groceries in Canada is to take a government work trip and bill taxpayers for fancy airplane food."

Trudeau's entourage also attended the ASEAN summit in Jakarta, where they launched the ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership and engaged in discussions with world leaders, including Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

They then went to Singapore for talks with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong before heading to India for the G20 summit.

The trip encountered a setback when the prime minister's aircraft experienced a mechanical breakdown in Delhi, a story that went international after an Indian diplomat claimed that the flight was delayed due to reasons related to illegal substances.

Despite an offer from the Indian government to utilize Air India One, Trudeau's team awaited repairs and a replacement aircraft dispatched by the Canadian Air Force.

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The expenses incurred during the trip, while drawing criticism for extravagance, were defended by Global Affairs Canada, which justified the trip by saying that the price tag was worth it to engage in diplomatic meetings.