Grégoire Trudeau ‘needs a team‘ to serve Canadians: report

[Michelle Obama and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau participate in a program at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., on March 10, 2016, to highlight Let Girls Learn efforts and raise awareness for global girl’s education. AP Photo/Cliff Owen]

When Michelle Obama calls you her soulmate, it’s a good indication of your popularity. But it seems as though Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, who has won fans in everyone from the U.S. first lady to fashion designers clamoring to dress her, can’t seem to keep up with the demand of her popularity.

The prime minister’s wife told a French newspaper this week that the number of requests she receives for events, fundraisers and charity functions overwhelms her and she’d like that to change.

“I’d like to be everywhere, but I can’t,” Grégoire Trudeau told the daily newspaper Le Soleil. “I have three children at home and a husband who is prime minister. I need help. I need a team to help me serve people.”

Grégoire Trudeau has one assistant, which isn’t enough to help to reply to everyone who reaches out to the former television personality.

“We want to modernize the system that allows us to serve the people, because people want us to modernize it,” she told the paper.

The Trudeaus have already attracted some criticism over their family budgeting after it was revealed that taxpayers foot the bill for the family’s two nannies. The hired childcare providers are paid between $15 and $20 an hour during the day and $11 to $13 an hour for night shifts, and have been working since Nov. 4, 2015, when Trudeau and his cabinet were sworn into office.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office listed the organizations and committees that Grégoire Trudeau donates her time to, which include anorexia and bulimia awareness events, WE Day events and the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards Gala. She also is an honorary chair of the National Art Centre Gala and a spokeswoman for Fillactive, a foundation that provides opportunities for girls between 12-17 to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle.

“As has been the tradition in Canada — and has been the case for spouses of former Prime Ministers – Madame Grégoire Trudeau receives help from PMO staff to fulfill the duties and responsibilities that come with the role,” Olivier Duchesneau told Yahoo Canada News. “She receives an extraordinarily high volume of correspondence and invitations. Therefore, we are continuing to look at new ways to make sure she is supported at the official events she attends, as well as making sure that correspondence from Canadians across the country is triaged and answered in a timely manner.”

Duchesneau wouldn’t address where the money for additional staffers would come from and what options would be made available to Grégoire Trudeau.

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s wife Laureen was also known to be active with causes, such as animal rights and was an honorary gala chair for the National Arts Centre.