'How often does Canada’s head of state die?': PM Trudeau faces heat for $6,000 night hotel stay for Queen's funeral
Canadians may be frustrated with how much the PM spent, but it is just 'loose change', expert says
News that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife stayed in a $6,000 a night hotel during the Queen's funeral is not sitting well with many Canadians, who feel the news was initially swept over.
The Prime Minister's Office confirmed that Trudeau, along with wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, stayed at the pricey Corinthia London hotel while attending the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II last fall.
The details surrounding the trip were revealed by media through access-to-information requests. In total, the trip cost $400,000. The PMO nor Global Affairs Canada initially did not respond to request for comments about the stay in the suite, which included butler service.
However, the PMO has since released a statement saying that hotel prices spiked drastically in light of the funeral, and that many were sold out as a result of so many heads of state and their delegations attending the event in the city.
The news is unsettling for many on social media, with some wondering why it took so long to confirm this information.
Wow. Wasn’t there a cheaper option? 6000$ it’s a slap in the face of Canadian! We get more and more taxes because of all the reckless spending of this government https://t.co/Q4DPZuT0Mt
— Silke (@S16746055) March 24, 2023
Well that answers the $6000 question. I don't get why they couldn't just say this when asked earlier. https://t.co/DhxogTFc7o
— Melissa Mbarki (@MelissaMbarki) March 23, 2023
Why does it take this government months to come clean on the most basic things? #cdnpoli https://t.co/2MsGiDHK0T
— Brad Zubyk (@Bzubyk) March 23, 2023
Yup it was him. It was Trudeau who stayed in the $6000 a night hotel suite. Funny how they finally come clean on this just as @POTUS is arriving in Ottawa thinking no one will notice. Trudeau cannot be redeemed, he can only be replaced! #cdnpoli https://t.co/TJazUyHfyr
— John Brassard (@JohnBrassardCPC) March 23, 2023
No one trusts the Trudeau gov. We all know he was the one who spent $6000 on a hotel room at a funeral he embarrassed all of canada at drunk and singing a stupid queen song. https://t.co/1oIhUMuNTm
— Kotylak (@Kotyjo) March 24, 2023
Seriously, what is worth that much $$ ? $6000 or pounds? What is in that suite? #Trudeau
— jc (@JMCInformation) March 23, 2023
Others wondered if the news was meant as a deflection from other issues, like the reports that Liberal MP Han Dong had been involved with Chinese political interference. Dong has since stepped away from the party to sit as an independent.
Lol now they announce it to divert attention!
— Feli (@felicetti33) March 23, 2023
Fessing up to the $6,000 hotel room in the desperate hope that it might pull a degree of attention away from the foreign election corruption scandal is proof the government is in crisis.
Trudeau has never been more vulnerable. #cdnpoli— Keegan Loyst (@KMLOnt) March 24, 2023
We already knew it was him.
The admission now is another attempt at distracting from the questions about when he knew Beijjng was messing with Canadian elections, and what he resolved to do about it. https://t.co/s7o5Gp07qs— Marco Navarro-Génie (@MNavarroGenie) March 24, 2023
Some Canadians were understanding, given exchange rates and price hikes.
PierrePoilievre and your whining about Justin Trudeau and the $6000 a night hotel room for the Queen's funeral? Let's not factor in the currency exchange rate or hotel prices going up 3000% during her funeral.
Hell... Harper would bring his own car! pic.twitter.com/kANXFkRZ0P— Brent Whiteside (@brent_whiteside) March 24, 2023
Why is the #cdnmedia surprised that hotel, transportation, security costs soared? We could ask: Should world leaders not have attended the Queen’s funeral?
The Queen’s funeral guest list: Where world leaders could stay,from royal townhouse to luxury hotel https://t.co/0GbxVUsqPQ— Dr. Malinda S. Smith (@MalindaSmith) March 24, 2023
Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, says the reaction to the price tag of the hotel room is overblown.
The cost of Trudeau flying there and back was probably a lot more. What did other heads of government and heads of state pay for their rooms? Find two or three who paid less or paid more and compare it to that.Nelson Wiseman, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Toronto
He adds that it's "loose change in a budget of hundreds of billions."
"How often does Canada’s head of state die? The last time was 1952," he says.
On Thursday, a press secretary for the Prime Minister said the Queen's death was "a significant event for Canadians."