Business
Feds spend $1.5 million on hotel rooms during UN summit in Montreal
From the Canadian Taxpayers Federation
Author: Ryan Thorpe
Taxpayers picked up the $1.5-million tab for 400 people to attend a two-week United Nations summit in Montreal last December.
That’s according to government records released in response to an order paper question from Conservative MP Eric Melillo (Kenora), and additional information confirmed by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
The $1.5 million was spent on hotel rooms for the “approximately” 400-person delegation Canada sent to the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal on Dec. 7-19, 2022, also known as COP15.
“Did the feds really need to send 400 people to Montreal for a conference?” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. “Canadians pay an obscene amount of money when our politicians and bureaucrats travel abroad, and now we learn we also pay an arm and a leg when we host a conference at home.”
Environment and Climate Change Canada confirmed total spending on hotel rooms was even higher than $1.5 million, but said it lacks the resources to tally up the full bill.
“There were also other costs for hotel rooms that were booked directly by travellers and reimbursed by ECCC,” the agency wrote. “It would require a significant amount of time and effort to locate and analyze the supporting documentation of each travel request and manually extract the requested information.”
The rooms were booked at two downtown hotels, Le Westin Montreal and the Intercontinental Montreal, costing taxpayers $1,539,052.
“It seems like all you have to do to get a taxpayer-funded hotel room is show up,” Terrazzano said. “At a time when so many taxpayers are struggling to make ends meet, it’s outrageous the government is spending so much money at a conference in our own backyard.”
This isn’t the first time lavish spending by Canadian politicians and bureaucrats during a UN climate conference has raised eyebrows.
In 2021, Canada sent the largest delegation of all G7 countries to the COP26 Conference on Climate Change in Glasgow, Scotland. At least $1 million in taxpayer funds went towards the trip, although full costs were not released by the government.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and three support staff managed to book hotels in the wrong city – 86 kilometres away, in Edinburgh. As a result, they billed taxpayers thousands of dollars to hire a luxury chauffeur service to shuttle them between the two cities.
“It’s clear politicians and bureaucrats love spending other people’s money going to conferences in fun cities, but what value are taxpayers getting from all this spending?” Terrazzano said. “The feds are more than $1 trillion in debt and Canadians can’t afford higher taxes, so reining in their conference budgets should be a no brainer.”
MxM News
Quick Hit:
On the 10-year anniversary of Donald Trump’s iconic campaign launch, the Trump family announced the debut of Trump Mobile, a new wireless company offering American-built smartphones, 5G coverage, and a values-driven alternative to Big Tech carriers.
Key Details:
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Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump introduced Trump Mobile’s flagship service Monday, calling it a “transformational” alternative aimed at “our nation’s hardest-working people.”
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The “47 Plan,” priced at $47.45/month, offers unlimited talk, text, and data, free international calls to U.S. military families, telehealth, roadside assistance, and no credit checks.
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Trump Mobile’s customer support is fully U.S.-based and live 24/7—“not automated,” the company says—while a new American-made “T1 Phone” is slated for release in August.
Diving Deeper:
Marking ten years since President Donald Trump descended the golden escalator to launch his first campaign, the Trump Organization on Monday announced its boldest private sector move yet: Trump Mobile.
Flanked by company executives, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump unveiled the new cellular service, touting it as a patriotic, people-first alternative to legacy providers. “We’re building on the movement to put America first,” Trump Jr. said in a statement. “We will deliver the highest levels of quality and service.”
The cornerstone of Trump Mobile is the 47 Plan. Offered for $47.45/month, the plan includes unlimited data, full 5G coverage across all three major carriers, and a suite of benefits tailored to middle-class families, truckers, veterans, and anyone tired of paying premiums to companies that don’t share their values.
Among the key perks: 24/7 American-based customer service (with “real people,” not bots), comprehensive device protection, roadside assistance through Drive America, and telehealth services including mental health support and prescription delivery. Most notably, the plan includes free international calling to over 100 countries—an effort the Trump family says honors U.S. military families stationed abroad.
“We’re especially proud to offer free long-distance calling to our military members and their families,” said Eric Trump. “Those serving overseas should always be able to stay connected to the people they love back home.”
Unlike traditional providers, Trump Mobile advertises no contracts and no credit checks, appealing to a demographic long underserved by mainstream telecom giants. “Hard-working Americans deserve a wireless service that’s affordable, reflects their values, and delivers reliable quality they can count on,” Eric Trump added.
The company is also preparing to launch the T1 Phone in August—a sleek, gold smartphone “engineered for performance” and “proudly designed and built in the United States.” With that, the Trump Organization is not just entering the mobile market—it’s staking a claim as a direct competitor to Apple and Samsung.
From LifeSiteNews
Canada’s prime minister said it was a ‘great honor’ to host the U.S. president and praised him for saying Canada wants to work with the U.S. ‘hand-in-hand.’
During the second day of the G7 leaders meeting in the Kananaskis area in Alberta, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s world “leadership” despite saying many negative things about him during his election campaign.
While speaking to reporters Monday, Trump hinted that a new trade deal between Canada and the United States was potentially only “weeks” away. This came after a private meeting with Carney before the official G7 talks commenced.
“We’ve developed a very good relationship. And we’re going to be talking about trade and many other things,” Trump told reporters.
Carney was less vocal, however. He used the opportunity to tell reporters he was happy Trump came to his country for the G7 meeting, saying it was a “great honor” to host him.
“This marks the 50th birthday of the G7, and the G7 is nothing without U.S. leadership,” Carney told reporters.
He then spoke about Trump’s “personal leadership” on world issues and praised him for saying Canada wants to work with the U.S. “hand-in-hand.”
Carney ran his election campaign by claiming the Conservative Party would bow to Trump’s demands despite the fact that the party never said such things.
During his federal election campaign, Carney repeatedly took issue with Trump and the U.S. that turned into an anti-American Canadian legacy media frenzy.
However, the reality is, after Carney won the April 28 federal election, Trump praised him, saying, “Canada chose a very talented person.”
Many political pundits have said that Carney owes his win to Trump, as the U.S. president suggested on multiple occasions that he would rather work with Carney than conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
Trump has routinely suggested that Canada become an American state in recent months, often making such statements while talking about or implementing trade tariffs on Canadian goods.
As for Carney, he has said his government plans to launch a “new economy” in Canada that will involve “deepening” ties to the world.
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