Friday, December 19, 2025
ADVT 
National

PM stayed in $6k London suite for royal funeral

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Mar, 2023 05:07 PM
  • PM stayed in $6k London suite for royal funeral

OTTAWA - The Prime Minister's Office says Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, stayed in a $6,000 per night hotel suite while attending the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II.

The stay at the Corinthia London hotel became the subject of public debate last fall when media honed in on the details of the $400,000 trip, after obtaining documents through access-to-information requests.

But Trudeau's office and Global Affairs Canada did not respond to questions last month about who stayed in the expensive river suite, which features a butler service.

Opposition MPs on the government operations committee asked for a copy of all receipts and invoices associated with the trip last month.

The room was booked on Sept. 9, one day after the Queen's death, for Sept. 15 to 20.

In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office says hotel prices surged significantly ahead of the funeral, and many London hotels were sold out as 500 heads of state and their delegations descended on the city.

The hotel's website currently lists the suite at 5,154 British pounds per night, higher than the 4,800 pounds the government was charged in September.

A night in the river suite next month would come out to more than $8,000 at the current exchange rate.

The Prime Minister's Office did not immediately respond to questions about the higher prices and why the government chose this particular hotel.

Documents released through access-to-information requests note that the booking was for a three-bed suite. The hotel's website says it has one king-sized bed but there are "connecting rooms available on request."

In November, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre peppered Trudeau with questions in the House of Commons about who stayed in the suite, but he didn't answer.

"The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was a significant event for Canadians. Canada was represented by former prime ministers and governors general to pay their respects to the monarch who oversaw almost half of Canada’s time as an independent country," said a press secretary for Trudeau in a written statement Thursday.

MORE National ARTICLES

Trust in governments rebounds after pandemic

Trust in governments rebounds after pandemic
NDP supporters were the most likely to say parties are divisive, at 65 per cent, compared with 62 per cent of Conservative supporters. Liberals supporters were the least concerned about it, with 52 per cent listing political parties as divisive.

Trust in governments rebounds after pandemic

New Buy American talk 'concerning' to B.C. lumber

New Buy American talk 'concerning' to B.C. lumber
The B.C. Lumber Trade Council says it's "concerning" that Biden says he wants to restrict the use of foreign lumber in federally funded infrastructure projects. Biden announced the expanded rules during Tuesday's state of the union speech on Capitol Hill.

New Buy American talk 'concerning' to B.C. lumber

Two killed in North Vancouver house fire

Two killed in North Vancouver house fire
Several people escaped but police say a man and woman were found dead inside when firefighters were able to enter the house after knocking down the flames. The cause of the fire is under investigation.    

Two killed in North Vancouver house fire

Study finds promise in single-shot COVID treatment

Study finds promise in single-shot COVID treatment
Edward Mills, one of the authors, said peginterferon lambda stands out as a potential "one-and-done" treatment for older patients, noting current options includemulti-dose infusions of monoclonal antibodies or the medication Paxlovid, which requires three pills repeated twice a day, for five days.

Study finds promise in single-shot COVID treatment

Burnaby morning crash claims life of motorcyclist

Burnaby morning crash claims life of motorcyclist
The motorcycle was travelling southbound on Douglas Road at the time of the crash, which is believed to have occurred at approximately 6:10 a.m. The hatchback was travelling eastbound on Laurel Street. The driver of the hatchback remained on scene. A 33-year-old motorcyclist was pronounced dead on scene.

Burnaby morning crash claims life of motorcyclist

Turkey quake tragedy offers B.C. lessons: experts

Turkey quake tragedy offers B.C. lessons: experts
Last month, the B.C. and federal government jointly announced the province is ramping up an early earthquake detection system in "high seismic risk areas." The national earthquake early warning system already has several hundred sensors overseen by Natural Resources Canada. 

Turkey quake tragedy offers B.C. lessons: experts