The rumour began on social media, and is rapidly gaining traction amidst the recent rash of public lynchings of politicians soaking up the sun in the little-latitudes this past Christmas season..Guy Annable (The Capital Voice) posted a message on Facebook December 31 saying: “Touchdown in Barbados a Challenger 600 series (sic) no other flight info re security trip (sic) vip via folks (sic) Justin is in Barbados (sic) just landed for new years (sic).”.On December 31, Twitter users in Barbados began speculating that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was vacationing on the island, following the New Year’s Eve arrival of a Bombardier Challenger at Grantley Adams International Airport – similar to the model used by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) VIP fleet to transport the PM and other official dignitaries on official government business..Ann-Clara Vaillancourt, a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister’s Office, told the Associated Free Press (AFP): “The Prime Minister has not travelled, he spent the holiday period with his family at home.” Vaillancourt did not specify whether the family was at the official residence at Rideau Cottage in the capital Ottawa, or the country residence of the prime minister, Harrington Lake..Travel between Quebec and Ontario does not violate current health restrictions..The story was reported December 2 in the Western Standard (WS)..CTV Parliamentary reporter Glen McGregor claimed Trudeau was not in Ottawa at Rideau Cottage, but at the PM’s official summer residence at Harrington Lake – recently the subject of an $8.63 million renovation by the National Capital Commission (NCC)..“Can confirm: PMJT is home for the holidays with his family at Harrington Lake residence. That is, he isn’t out of the country as wildly speculated on Twitter,” McGregor tweeted on New Year’s Day..Harrington Lake is located approximately 30 minutes north of Ottawa on a private lake in Gatineau Park, Quebec..The PM’s New Year’s Eve tweet to Canadians did not say where he was spending the holidays..“It’s almost the moment we’ve all been waiting for, but I’ll get this out now… happy New Year! As we settle in for our virtual parties tonight and head into 2021 with hope, Sophie and I are sending you our warmest wishes for the year ahead,” he tweeted..The prime minister’s official itinerary shows Trudeau was either in “private meetings” or on “personal” time between December 21 and January 4, except for a media appearance in Ottawa on December 23. .The PM has not made any official statement denying his alleged trip to Barbados..Since the New Year’s Eve social media posts, some Canadians have begun to question the veracity of the claim that Trudeau spent his entire seasonal vacation at Harrington Lake..One source who contacted WS has provided flight mapping for a Bombardier CL60 Challenger with blocked registration that departed Ottawa December 31, 2020 at approximately 1120 UTC. The aircraft then flew to the Caribbean, where it was subsequently lost on radar. Later the same day, at 1439 UTC, again with blocked registration, callsign CL60 departed San Juan Puerto Rico. The aircraft went on to Barbados and was observed on a terminal flight path approaching Barbados at 1542 UTC..The Western Standard has submitted a request for flight manifests under ATIP..Ken Grafton is the Western Standards Ottawa Bureau Chief. He can be reached at kgrafton@westernstandardonline.com
The rumour began on social media, and is rapidly gaining traction amidst the recent rash of public lynchings of politicians soaking up the sun in the little-latitudes this past Christmas season..Guy Annable (The Capital Voice) posted a message on Facebook December 31 saying: “Touchdown in Barbados a Challenger 600 series (sic) no other flight info re security trip (sic) vip via folks (sic) Justin is in Barbados (sic) just landed for new years (sic).”.On December 31, Twitter users in Barbados began speculating that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was vacationing on the island, following the New Year’s Eve arrival of a Bombardier Challenger at Grantley Adams International Airport – similar to the model used by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) VIP fleet to transport the PM and other official dignitaries on official government business..Ann-Clara Vaillancourt, a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister’s Office, told the Associated Free Press (AFP): “The Prime Minister has not travelled, he spent the holiday period with his family at home.” Vaillancourt did not specify whether the family was at the official residence at Rideau Cottage in the capital Ottawa, or the country residence of the prime minister, Harrington Lake..Travel between Quebec and Ontario does not violate current health restrictions..The story was reported December 2 in the Western Standard (WS)..CTV Parliamentary reporter Glen McGregor claimed Trudeau was not in Ottawa at Rideau Cottage, but at the PM’s official summer residence at Harrington Lake – recently the subject of an $8.63 million renovation by the National Capital Commission (NCC)..“Can confirm: PMJT is home for the holidays with his family at Harrington Lake residence. That is, he isn’t out of the country as wildly speculated on Twitter,” McGregor tweeted on New Year’s Day..Harrington Lake is located approximately 30 minutes north of Ottawa on a private lake in Gatineau Park, Quebec..The PM’s New Year’s Eve tweet to Canadians did not say where he was spending the holidays..“It’s almost the moment we’ve all been waiting for, but I’ll get this out now… happy New Year! As we settle in for our virtual parties tonight and head into 2021 with hope, Sophie and I are sending you our warmest wishes for the year ahead,” he tweeted..The prime minister’s official itinerary shows Trudeau was either in “private meetings” or on “personal” time between December 21 and January 4, except for a media appearance in Ottawa on December 23. .The PM has not made any official statement denying his alleged trip to Barbados..Since the New Year’s Eve social media posts, some Canadians have begun to question the veracity of the claim that Trudeau spent his entire seasonal vacation at Harrington Lake..One source who contacted WS has provided flight mapping for a Bombardier CL60 Challenger with blocked registration that departed Ottawa December 31, 2020 at approximately 1120 UTC. The aircraft then flew to the Caribbean, where it was subsequently lost on radar. Later the same day, at 1439 UTC, again with blocked registration, callsign CL60 departed San Juan Puerto Rico. The aircraft went on to Barbados and was observed on a terminal flight path approaching Barbados at 1542 UTC..The Western Standard has submitted a request for flight manifests under ATIP..Ken Grafton is the Western Standards Ottawa Bureau Chief. He can be reached at kgrafton@westernstandardonline.com
