LILLEY: Trudeau spends Christmas vacation at luxury estate in Jamaica

Article content

Justin Trudeau’s latest vacation at a former slave plantation in Jamaica came with a very expensive gift from a friend.

Article content

After initially saying Trudeau and his family would be paying to cover the cost of their vacation, the PMO announced Wednesday the family stayed “at no cost at a location owned by family friends.”

Article content

That location, the Prospect Estate in Jamaica, is owned by the Green family who have been close to the Trudeau’s for years. In fact, Trudeau stayed at this same property last Christmas.

It’s unclear if he stayed in the Great House of this former sugar plantation, which once boasted as many as 162 slaves, or in one of the other homes such as Frankfort. Either way, it comes with a hefty price tag.

Frankfort currently rents out for $7,000 USD per night meaning the nine-night trip – from Dec. 26 to Jan. 4 – came at a cost of $63,000 USD or $84,000 CAD just for the accommodation.

Article content

Article content

Nothing says your leaders understand the affordability crisis that Canadians are facing more than taking a vacation like this.

“Originally a fortified residence dating back to the 17th century, Frankfort is perhaps the most desirable north coast villa in Jamaica,” the estate’s website says.

“The property offers six, en suite bedrooms. Three bedrooms are located in the main building and three in the beach-side villa known as the ‘School house’. The main house and School house overlook a spectacular three hundred foot, powdery white sand beach, widely hailed as the best stretch of private beach in Jamaica.”

Article content

Toggle full screen modePrevious Gallery Image

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

11. 

Next Gallery ImageToggle gallery captions

All 11 Photos for Gallery

Function Not Available

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

OK

Not bad digs if you can get them or have a friend who simply gives them to you.

The property also comes with a “luxurious swimming pool” that overlooks the ocean, a hot tub that seats eight and an outdoor dining room for 12.

Trudeau has a real taste for living the luxurious lifestyle whether it’s been vacations to Fogo Island, staying at the Aga Khan’s private island or booking a $6,000 per night hotel suite with a butler for the Queen’s funeral.

The only good part of this vacation is that we aren’t paying for Trudeau’s accommodations – although taxpayers will still foot a significant bill for the staff who travelled with him, space to accommodate his mobile office, the RCMP accommodations and keeping the flight crew on hand.

Article content

Documents tabled in Parliament showed his vacation to Jamaica last year cost taxpayers at least $162,000 for those expenses. As for Trudeau’s flight, while it may sound like he is paying for that, the reality is he will only reimburse taxpayers for the cost of a similar flight to Jamaica on a commercial flight.

Bottom line, his luxury vacation comes with a big price tag for you while he takes a questionable $84,000 gift from a “friend.”

Trudeau’s office said he cleared this trip, and we assume the gifted accommodations, with the Ethics Commissioner before he left. It’s probably best for Trudeau to do that given that he tried claiming he took the trip to the Aga Khan’s Island from a “friend” as well, though the Ethics Commissioner later ruled Trudeau had used that word loosely and the trip was a violation of the ethics act.

Given the headaches vacations have caused Trudeau, it’s amazing he still takes them.

From violating ethics rules, to generating bad headlines over multiple flights, surfing on the first Truth and Reconciliation Day, to even an odd haircut, vacations have not been good to Trudeau. Now, with Canadians concerned about the cost of living, the out-of-control cost of housing in both rents and mortgages, he takes a vacation at a spot like this.

If Trudeau was hoping to turn things around politically in 2024, he picked a bad way to start the year.

blilley@postmedia.com

Article content