Saturday, December 20, 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

Surrey RCMP need public's help in identifying suspect in groping incident

Surrey RCMP need public's help in identifying suspect in groping incident
On Monday at 10:53 a.m., Mounties responded to a report of a female who had been groped by an unknown suspect near King George Blvd. and 102 Avenue. The suspect is described as a black man, 5’7”, in his mid to late 20s, with a slim build.

Surrey RCMP need public's help in identifying suspect in groping incident

Passport backlog 'virtually eliminated': minister

Passport backlog 'virtually eliminated': minister
Most new passport applications were being processed on time by October, but thousands of people who applied before then still faced excessive delays. Those delays have finally come to an end, Social Development Minister Karina Gould announced Tuesday.    

Passport backlog 'virtually eliminated': minister

Woman stabbed on Toronto streetcar, arrest made

Woman stabbed on Toronto streetcar, arrest made
Toronto police say a woman was stabbed in the head and face while riding a streetcar in the city today and another woman has been arrested in the case. They say police received a call around 2 p.m. for a stabbing on a streetcar near Spadina Avenue and Sussex Avenue and found a woman in her 20s suffering from multiple stab wounds.

Woman stabbed on Toronto streetcar, arrest made

Officer may have had suicidal past: VPD sergeant

Officer may have had suicidal past: VPD sergeant
Sgt. Cindy Vance, who put together a timeline of Chan's HR complaints, says that during her hiring process, Chan disclosed that she had consumed 30 to 40 Tylenol in 2006, when she was 17 years old.    

Officer may have had suicidal past: VPD sergeant

Two dead, two hurt in latest B.C. avalanches

Two dead, two hurt in latest B.C. avalanches
RCMP say the two people died in a slide Monday near Mount McCrae southeast of Revelstoke. Police say they were with a small group heli-skiing in the backcountry near an area known as "Chocolate Bunnies."

Two dead, two hurt in latest B.C. avalanches

Metro hikes dividend 10% as profit climbs

Metro hikes dividend 10% as profit climbs
Grocers have come under intense scrutiny in recent months for posting strong profits as many Canadians struggle with higher food costs. Critics have accused grocers of so-called greedflation, suggesting they are profiteering at a time of spiralling inflation.

Metro hikes dividend 10% as profit climbs