Peter Kent, Conservative Shadow Minister for Ethics, and Jacques Gourde, Deputy Shadow Minister for Ethics, on Feb. 7 launched the Pay It Back campaign, a grassroots effort to force Justin Trudeau to pay back the more than $200,000 he billed taxpayers for his illegal vacation.
“Justin Trudeau is the first sitting Prime Minister to have been found guilty of breaking a federal ethics law. Worse still, he has repeatedly refused to take responsibility and pay back the more than $200,000 that he billed taxpayers for his private travel. Canadians deserve better than a Prime Minister who believes there is one set of rules for Liberals, and another set of rules for everyone else,” said Kent.
“Canada’s Conservatives have always been the voice of the taxpayer. That’s why we’re demanding Justin Trudeau pay it back. Canadians deserve to have the more than $200,000 the Prime Minister’s illegal trip cost returned to them. That’s why we are launching this grassroots campaign on behalf of hardworking Canadians,” said Gourde.
“The Pay It Back campaign will have Conservatives heading out across the country to help raise the voices of Canadians who are demanding accountability from this Liberal government. Canadians expect Members of Parliament to uphold the public trust, but Justin Trudeau’s refusal to repay this money shows that he is taking that trust for granted,” added Kent.
The more than $200,000 in taxpayer money spent on this illegal vacation covered Justin Trudeau’s costs to travel on government aircraft to the Bahamas, along with the additional costs for RCMP security and other government staff required to support the Prime Minister on a remote, private island in the Caribbean.
— Jacques Gourde