Simply Politics & News

[mr40]

I smile every time I read about another asylum seeker crossing the border. So happy to be rid of these welfare leeches and Trudeau deserves them.

Trudeau is already under fire for the vacation he took to the Bahamas.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came under opposition attack on Tuesday, accused of misleading Canadians when he said he had to fly in the Aga Khan's helicopter during his controversial Bahamas vacation because it was the only way to travel to the billionaire's private island.

Opposition Leader Rona Ambrose led off the attack, demanding to know why he told Canadians the private helicopter was the only way to get to the island when a government employee arrived via seaplane.


"It's bad enough that the prime minister chose to vacation at one of the most expensive destinations in the world when taxpayers have to pay," Ambrose said during a raucous question period.

"But why did the prime minister tell Canadians a private helicopter was his only option when he knew it was against the law, against his own ethical guidelines — and now we find out it wasn't even true."

New Democrat MP Nathan Cullen also accused Trudeau of misleading Canadians and being above the rules.

"Today we learned that the prime minister's excuse is categorically false," Cullen told the House. "So does he wish to change his story or does he wish to continue to mislead Canadians?"

Trudeau, however, refused to directly answer the question, saying repeatedly that it was a private family vacation and that he will answer any questions that Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson may have.

Dawson is conducting an investigation following complaints about the trip and allegations that Trudeau violated government rules, which prohibit the prime minister, cabinet ministers and parliamentary secretaries from accepting free travel on non-commercial chartered or private aircraft without prior approval from the ethics commissioner.

Government rules also bar a prime minister from flying on a regular commercial flight for security reasons, meaning they generally travel on government planes.

Fellow Liberal MP and longtime friend Seamus O'Regan and his husband, Steve Doussis, joined Trudeau's family on the island, along with Liberal Party President Anna Gainey and her husband, Tom Pitfield. Pitfield was a key member of Trudeau's election campaign team.

In January, O'Regan told the National Post that he and his husband also traveled on the Aga Khan's helicopter.

Trudeau has defended the trip, arguing that the Aga Khan — a billionaire and leader of the world's Ismaili Muslims — is a longtime family friend.

However, the Aga Khan Foundation Canada, which lists the Aga Khan as its chairman in its most recent filings with the Canada Revenue Agency's charities section, has received federal government grants in the past for its international development projects. The foundation is currently registered to lobby several government offices, including the Prime Minister's Office.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-agakhan-bahamas-vacation-1.4066342