(Ottawa) Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet says Justin Trudeau lacked judgment in determining that it was appropriate to “roll in the opulence” of his rich family friendships, when many Canadians are struggling to make ends meet.
The Bloc leader stopped short of issuing an ethical rebuke to the prime minister for his decision to spend the last holiday season at a family-friendly estate near Ocho Rios, Jamaica, where the price of an overnight stay varies between US$1100 and US$7000 during high season.
However, he did not hesitate to question the judgment of Justin Trudeau. According to him, he “should have listened to a little angel on his shoulder”, because “going to roll in opulence” while the winds of inflation are blowing in Canada shows a “lack of respect” for the average citizen.
“There is something in there that is a little beyond understanding,” he said at a press conference in parliament. Chef Blanchet also wondered if the Trudeaus had paid for their accommodation at the plush Prospect estate.
PHOTO JUSTIN TANG, THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Yves Francois Blanchet
The Trudeau family spent the New Year in Jamaica at a luxurious estate owned by members of a wealthy family of donors to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, a trip that cost taxpayers more than $160,000, Radio-Canada reported Tuesday. .
The Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner had given the green light to the Trudeaus’ stay, but there were nevertheless concerns in the Prime Minister’s entourage: there were concerns about how this trip would be perceived then that the cost of living is strangling Canadians, according to the Crown corporation.
It is not known how much the Green family, who owns the opulent Jamaican residence, donated to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. We do know, however, that a contribution from Alexander and Andrew Green made it possible to create the Mary-Jean Mitchell Green scholarship in memory of their mother, in 2021.
The Green and Trudeau clans maintain a long-standing friendship. Former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the father of Justin Trudeau, was also the godfather of Peter Green’s son, Alexander, who was born in 1980.
Another trip to the sun, this one in 2016 on Aga Khan Island, earned Justin Trudeau a reprimand from then-Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson. . She had concluded that the billionaire was not a friend, as the Prime Minister had described him.