The PMO has denied rumours Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is taking in some rays on the Caribbean island of Barbados this holiday season..The rumour surfaced when Twitter users in Barbados began speculating that Trudeau was vacationing on the island, following the New Year’s Eve arrival of a Bombardier Challenger – similar to the model used by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to transport the PM..Last June, Canadian Forces announced a single source contract had been awarded to Bombardier for the purchase of two new CC-144 Challengers..The Challenger purchase met with public criticism over the PM’s use of the Challengers for vacations in Costa Rica, St. Kitts, and the Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas at the expense of Canadian taxpayers..The 2017 Bahamas trip cost Canadians over $215,000 in direct expenses, plus costs associated with the resulting investigation by Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion – which found Trudeau guilty of violating the guidelines..Investigating the Barbados Challenger arrival however, it was reported flight tracking websites indicated the jet originated in nearby Puerto Rico, not Ottawa..So… where is Trudeau?.“He is home with his family for the holidays,” a spokesperson told the Sun..But which home?.The PM’s official summer residence Harrington Lake – recently was the subject of an $8.63 million renovation by the National Capital Commission (NCC)..On Thursday, CTV Parliamentary reporter Glen McGregor claimed Trudeau was not in Ottawa at Rideau Cottage, but at the PM’s official second residence at Harrington Lake..“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..This holiday COVID season a number of politicians have been criticized for chasing the sun in warmer destinations. Ontario MPP and Finance Minister Rod Phillips was forced to resign for vacationing with his wife in St. Barts. The latest COVID-optics casualty is NDP MP (Churchill – Keewatinook Aski) Niki Ashton, who was stripped of her shadow critic roles for visiting her sick grandmother in Greece..While it appears the PM is observing good COVID-optics this season, it is not known who was on board the Challenger that arrived in Barbados..Ken Grafton is the Western Standards Ottawa Bureau Chief. He can be reached at kgrafton@westernstandardonline.com
