The Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s “naughty list” of wasteful political spending this year is topped by the Trudeau government renting a $6,000-a-night hotel room for five nights as part of an almost $400,000 tab for accommodating the Canadian delegation during the Queen’s funeral.
“Taxpayers were visited by the Ghost of Christmas Waste” said CTF director Franco Terrazzano, of the story broken by The Toronto Sun‘s Brian Lilley.
“Someone in the federal government billed taxpayers $6,000 per night for a single hotel room … Who could it have been? The governor general says it wasn’t her. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won’t say who it was. It must have been the Ghost of Christmas Waste!”
Whoever it was (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) the five-star Corinthia Hotel’s River Suite features views of the River Thames, complimentary butler service and 907-square-feet of luxury accommodation featuring a walk-in closet, powder room, marble bathroom with under-floor heating, bathtub with built-in TV and a separate rain shower.
Next in line for a lump of coal from Santa is Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, on the CTF’s naughty list for spending $20 billion over her own budget. Freeland originally said she would spend $452 billion of taxpayers’ money this year, but in her mid-year budget update seven months later, that increased to $472 billion.
Governor General Mary Simon, the CTF says, “got an early start on this year’s festivities when she and her entourage spent nearly six-figures on airplane food during their week-long trip to the Middle East in March. They enjoyed Beef Wellington, beef carpaccio and stuffed pork tenderloin” proving “that it’s always holiday season at Rideau Hall.”
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault makes the CTF’s naughty list for telling Canadians eight out of 10 families paying Trudeau’s carbon tax get back more than they pay in rebates. “The Parliamentary Budget Officer shows that’s magic math,” the CTF said, reporting that the carbon tax this year costs the average household between $299 and $671, after the rebates.
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem lands on the CTF’s naughty list for pursuing monetary policies that it says contributed to inflation, while the B of C’s central bankers received $45 million in bonuses and raises during the first two years of the pandemic, leaving Santa with one question: “What do you have to do at the Bank of Canada to miss a bonus?”
A select few did make the CTF’s “nice” list, showing it’s not all gloom and doom, including:
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith for cutting taxes and making the largest debt reduction payment in the province’s history.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston for cutting his own pay and recalling the legislature to stop a pay hike for provincial politicians.
British Columbia MLA Todd Stone for applying political pressure which led to the provincial government stopping a scheduled MLA pay hike.
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs for income tax relief that could save taxpayers up to $1,386 per year, while those earning less than $19,177 annually won’t have to pay provincial income taxes this year.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford for cutting the provincial gas tax for another year.
Federal Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux for giving the gift of government accountability and transparency. “From showing the full cost of the carbon tax to analyzing budget and tax plans, the PBO has been holding politicians in Ottawa accountable all year and that warms taxpayers’ hearts”, the CTF said.
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