Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
National

PM stayed in $6k London suite for royal funeral

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Mar, 2023 05:07 PM
  • PM stayed in $6k London suite for royal funeral

OTTAWA - The Prime Minister's Office says Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, stayed in a $6,000 per night hotel suite while attending the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II.

The stay at the Corinthia London hotel became the subject of public debate last fall when media honed in on the details of the $400,000 trip, after obtaining documents through access-to-information requests.

But Trudeau's office and Global Affairs Canada did not respond to questions last month about who stayed in the expensive river suite, which features a butler service.

Opposition MPs on the government operations committee asked for a copy of all receipts and invoices associated with the trip last month.

The room was booked on Sept. 9, one day after the Queen's death, for Sept. 15 to 20.

In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office says hotel prices surged significantly ahead of the funeral, and many London hotels were sold out as 500 heads of state and their delegations descended on the city.

The hotel's website currently lists the suite at 5,154 British pounds per night, higher than the 4,800 pounds the government was charged in September.

A night in the river suite next month would come out to more than $8,000 at the current exchange rate.

The Prime Minister's Office did not immediately respond to questions about the higher prices and why the government chose this particular hotel.

Documents released through access-to-information requests note that the booking was for a three-bed suite. The hotel's website says it has one king-sized bed but there are "connecting rooms available on request."

In November, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre peppered Trudeau with questions in the House of Commons about who stayed in the suite, but he didn't answer.

"The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was a significant event for Canadians. Canada was represented by former prime ministers and governors general to pay their respects to the monarch who oversaw almost half of Canada’s time as an independent country," said a press secretary for Trudeau in a written statement Thursday.

MORE National ARTICLES

Liberals move to create foreign influence registry

Liberals move to create foreign influence registry
The government has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks over allegations in media reports that they did not act when they were warned China was trying to interfere in the last two federal elections. The reports by Global News and the Globe and Mail newspaper cite unnamed security sources and leaks of highly classified documents.

Liberals move to create foreign influence registry

Joly urges China to include Ukraine in peace talks

Joly urges China to include Ukraine in peace talks
Joly said Canada has been pushing China to expand its talks with Russia to include Ukraine, while South Africa's envoy urged Canada to instead support a settlement to the war. She was speaking at a public discussion on multilateralism with Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister Anniken Huitfeldt in Ottawa.

Joly urges China to include Ukraine in peace talks

Google will stop blocking news links in Canada

Google will stop blocking news links in Canada
The company has said the test applied to news of all kinds, including content created by Canadian broadcasters and newspapers. The test will end on March 16. 

Google will stop blocking news links in Canada

B.C. to drop COVID-19 vaccine requirement

B.C. to drop COVID-19 vaccine requirement
The province says that from April 3, BC Public Service employees will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination. It says more than 98 per cent of employees met the requirement.      

B.C. to drop COVID-19 vaccine requirement

Vancouver Police's arrest attempt leaves 25 year old man seriously injured

Vancouver Police's arrest attempt leaves 25 year old man seriously injured
Officers were made aware the man had a BC-wide warrant.  While they attempted to speak to the man in the hallway of the building, witnesses saw him fall from his balcony. The 25-year-old man was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Vancouver Police's arrest attempt leaves 25 year old man seriously injured

COVID-19 'steady' but not over in Canada, Tam says

COVID-19 'steady' but not over in Canada, Tam says
Tam says population immunity is high due to an overall high vaccine uptake combined with the immunity people got from infection. She says officials are continuing to watch for new strains of the virus that can evade people's immune systems.

COVID-19 'steady' but not over in Canada, Tam says