The documents contain emails also referring to orders from the office of Global Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly that staff not tell reporters which government delegate stayed in a roughly $6,000-a-night luxury suite at taxpayers’ expense while in London for the funeral.
The Toronto Sun’s Brian Lilley broke the story in October 2022 that the federal government had racked up a hotel bill the previous month of 281,400 pounds for politicians, diplomats and other government officials to attend the Queen’s funeral, almost $400,000 given exchange rates at the time. That bill included five nights in the Corinthia Hotel’s “River Suite,” a 904-square-foot suite that comes with stunning views of the Thames, heated floors and complimentary butler service.
Now, new emails Lilley obtained through an access to information request, shared with National Post, show GAC staff responding to the media reports, which were met with outrage by opposition politicians, by considering whether to shrink the size of the prime minister’s planned delegation for the upcoming coronation in May.
In the emails, staffers refer to the trip as Operation London Bridge, using the acronym OLB, which was the U.K. government’s codename for Elizabeth II’s funeral plans.
“I assume that you’ve seen the recent Toronto Sun article on the hotel costing for OLB,” wrote Davon Singh, executive office director and head of visits with Canada’s High Commission in the United Kingdom, in an email to Frédéric Huot-Bolduc, GAC’s visits co-ordinator.
“We knew it was going to come but given that it’s out and that we know the coronation will be more, should we look into reduced (delegate) numbers or stick with the amount you’ve currently sent us?” wrote Singh.
In response, Huot-Bolduc suggested sticking with existing plans for the prime minister’s delegation to London for the coronation.
“Of course, any clarity LDN (Canada’s U.K. high commission) can provide about expected program elements/dates, and how many access (spots) will be assigned to Canada would help refine numbers,” he said.
Anything in the emails that suggest who stayed in the Corinthia’s River Suite at more than $6,000 a night were redacted.
Invoices obtained by the Toronto Sun in October show the bulk of the government’s expenses for the official trip to London for the funeral went towards lodging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Governor General Mary Simon and dignitaries at the Corinthia, a luxury, five-star riverfront hotel in the heart of London.
Canada’s official delegation included former governors general Michaëlle Jean and David Johnston, former prime ministers Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper, as well as Olympian Mark Tewksbury, actress Sandra Oh, and musician Gregory Charles.
At one point GAC media spokesperson Jason Kung sent an email to Huot-Bolduc asking for information he can share with reporters about who stayed in the lavish suite.
“I am asking who stayed in this room as part of the Canadian delegation,” Kung wrote. “Rideau Hall has confirmed that it was not Governor General Mary Simon. Was it the prime minister? Was it a former GG? Was it Sandra Oh?”
A response from Huot-Bolduc confirmed the room nightly cost of 4,800 pounds per night, but further details in his response were redacted.
The documents also show government staff brainstorming different versions for how to respond to reporters’ inquiries about the hotel bill. One suggestion, from the Privy Council Office, suggests informing reporters that government travel is “subject to the National Joint Council Travel Directives” and that Rideau Hall’s expenditures would be made public in the fall of 2023, in the release of the Public Accounts of Canada.
“The reference to the NJC Travel Directives does seem somewhat out of place,” replied Stuart Wheeler, Canada’s chief of protocol.
“Do you think that that reference might inadvertently draw their attention to the fact that some of our VIP rooms would fall above the general NJC directive level for standard rooms?” The NJC directive standard for international travel outside the U.S. is a “a single room, in a safe environment, conveniently located and comfortably equipped,” which should be chosen from a government accommodations directory, whenever possible; when accommodations can’t be found from the government directory, “the directories shall be used to help determine the cost of accommodation by comparing costs in similar nearby locations.”
Kung later emailed the group to say Global Affairs Minister Joly’s office had requested reporters be given no response to their inquiries about the River Suite.
“For everyone’s awareness, oMINA (office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs) has asked that we close without response,” Kung wrote.
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/emails-trudeau-6000-a-night-london-suite
