OTTAWA, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to cut the cost of international trips following news the government spent $61,000 on hotel rooms during an anti-poverty summit in New York. 

“How many people were lifted out of poverty because Trudeau and a band of bureaucrats stayed in a fancy hotel in Manhattan?” Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director of the CTF, said. “Spending $61,000 on hotel rooms is a lot of money and taxpayers deserve to know the total cost for this trip.”

The federal government spent $61,000 to book rooms at the five-star Intercontinental New York Barclay Hotel, as reported by the National Post. The federal government booked up to 39 rooms during the stay. Trudeau flew to New York to attend an anti-poverty summit. Costs for flights, meals and other expenses have not been made public. 

News of Trudeau’s pricey trip to New York comes on the heels of numerous scandals related to international trips:

• Trudeau stayed in a $6,000-per-night luxury suite during the Queen’s funeral. The total hotel expense for the trip was about $400,000. 
• Governor General Mary Simon spent more than $1 million on a week-long trip to the Middle East. The total bill included nearly six-figures for in-flight catering. 
• Simon spent $700,000 on a four-day trip to a German book fair.
• Canada sent the largest delegation of any G7 country to COP 26, a climate summit hosted by the United Kingdom. 

“It’s clear the feds love spending buckets of cash flying around the world but it’s not clear what value taxpayers are getting for all this money,” Terrazzano said. “Reining in luxurious international trips should be the first place the government looks for savings.”