Canadian taxpayers received a steep bill for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s widely-lampooned trip to India last February.
Documents obtained Thursday by Global News reveal that Trudeau’s scandal and gaffe-plagued sojourn to India cost more than $1.5 million, thanks in part to the Trudeau government bringing its own wine and flying a celebrity chef over to fix one dinner.
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The breakdown of the expenses included the following: $323,000 for accommodation; $485,070 for transport; $5,235 for cell phones, $5,100 for Canadian wines; and $17,044 to bring over Vancouver celebrity chef Vikram Viji to ensure that he could cook while the prime minister entertained at the New Delhi Canadian High Commission.
Conservative Member of Parliament Alex Nuttall told Global News the trip was an “international embarrassment” and notes that questions are still being asked about how a man convicted of trying to assassinate an Indian politician travelled with Trudeau’s retinue for days before being identified as a potential security risk.
“At this point, the evidence is that it was a complete and utter failure,” Nuttall told Global.
During his time in India, Trudeau dressed himself and his family in traditional Indian attire and posed for pictures in front of traditional Indian landmarks like the Taj Mahal. When he wasn’t attempting to perfect Indian dance steps, he was claiming to be closing billion dollar trade deals that turned out to be bogus.
The prime minister’s office continues to argue that the expense was justified and says Trudeau’s trip cost less than a similar venture by former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2009.