Economy
Feds spend $3 million to fly 182 politicians and bureaucrats to climate conference
From the Canadian Taxpayers Federation
Author: Ryan Thorpe
Feds trip to COP28 in Dubai cost $3 million
The cost for Canada to send hundreds of people to COP28 in Dubai has doubled, rising to nearly $3 million, according to government records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
Included in those costs is $1.3 million the federal government dished out to host a “Canada Pavilion” at the summit, which featured a rapper performing a song on “climate disinformation,” while giving a shoutout to Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
“Nothing screams fighting climate change like flying around the world burning through jet fuel and millions of tax dollars,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. “Here’s a crazy idea: maybe the feds don’t need to spend $3 million flying 182 politicians and bureaucrats to Dubai.”
The federal government paid for at least 182 people to go to COP28, held from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
A previous report from the National Post pegged the cost for Canada’s delegation at $1.4 million.
But the bill now sits at $2,954,188, including $825,466 for transportation, $472,570 for accommodations and $295,455 for meals and incidentals, according to the records.
The records indicate the cost could rise even higher, as certain invoices and travel claims “have yet to be processed.”
Costs included $1.3 million for a “Canada Pavilion” to “showcase the breadth of Canadian climate leadership.”
At the Canada Pavilion, a Canadian rapper known as Baba Brinkman – the son of Liberal MP Joyce Murray – performed a rap on “climate disinformation.”
“Climate disinformation, get that immunization, the vaccine for bad meme infiltration,” Brinkman rapped. “Climate misinformation, it leads to polarization, which leads to radical conspiracy ideation.”
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault also received a shoutout during Brinkman’s rap.
“Really? Hosting a rapper half-way around the world to drop rhymes at a government podium will help the environment?” Terrazzano said.
The records were released in response to an order paper question from Conservative MP Dan Mazier (Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa).
Most of the hotel expenses came from the Dubai Marriott and the Premier Inn at the Dubai Investment Park, with rooms coming in between $150 and $400 per night.
The most expensive digs was a $816-per-night suite at the Pullman Dubai Jumeriah Lakes Towers, a “five-star hotel offering upscale accommodations.”
The Canadian delegation also handed out $650 worth of gifts during the trip.
Business
Taxpocalypse 2025: Trudeau Rings in the New Year with Higher Taxes and Empty Wallets
Taxpayer Federation’s report reveals how Trudeau’s government is using new taxes to crush the middle class, fund wasteful projects, and expand a bloated bureaucracy while Canadians struggle
When the clock strikes midnight, it won’t just be the start of 2025—it’ll mark the beginning of Taxpocalypse 2025, a year where Justin Trudeau’s government will hit the middle class harder than ever before.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has released a report that lays bare the financial storm Canadians are about to endure. It’s not just inflation draining your wallet; it’s an avalanche of new taxes designed to fund Trudeau’s bloated government and its endless corruption. Let’s go through the numbers, because you deserve to know what’s really happening.
First, payroll taxes are going up. If you earn $81,200 or more, you’ll be paying $403 more in Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance contributions this year. Your employer will also fork out nearly $6,000 per employee. Small businesses—already struggling with inflation and high costs—are being crushed under this weight. This isn’t job creation; it’s job destruction.
Then there’s the carbon tax. Starting tomorrow, it jumps from $80 per tonne to $95, adding 20.9¢ per litre to the cost of gasoline. Filling up a 70-litre tank will now cost you almost $15 in carbon taxes alone. If you heat your home with natural gas, get ready to pay an additional $415 this year. Trudeau claims this is about fighting climate change, but in reality, it’s just another excuse to fill government coffers.
And if you thought inflation was bad, bracket creep makes it worse. As your income grows slightly due to inflation, you’re pushed into higher tax brackets without actually having more buying power. So, you’ll pay more in income tax on money that doesn’t go as far as it did last year. Meanwhile, the wealthy use loopholes to avoid taxes, and the poor get targeted rebates. Once again, it’s the middle class holding the bag.
Don’t believe me about how bad things have gotten under Trudeau? Let’s talk inflation—specifically food inflation. Here are the year-over-year increases:
- 2021: 4.0% (September)
- 2022: 11.0% (October)
- 2023: 8.3% (June)
- 2024: 2.7% (October)
Now, let’s compound that year over year. Since 2021, food prices have soared 28.37%. Think about that—almost a third of your grocery budget wiped out. A dollar that used to buy a loaf of bread now barely buys three-quarters of one. And this year, Trudeau’s new taxes will take even more out of your wallet.
But while you’re paying more for less, Trudeau has been busy inflating something else: the federal public service. Since he took office in 2015, he has added 108,793 new public servants to the federal payroll—a 42% increase in the size of the federal public service. And for what? Are hospitals better staffed? Are services more efficient? Absolutely not. Wait times for healthcare are worse than ever. Infrastructure projects are endlessly delayed.
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If you ask me, Trudeau bloated the public sector to artificially keep unemployment numbers down. Let’s be clear: it’s the private sector that provides for the public sector, not the other way around. Every new bureaucrat added to the payroll is funded by taxes from hardworking Canadians—people like you—who are already struggling to make ends meet.
So, under Trudeau, you’re paying more for groceries, more in taxes, and getting less in return. This isn’t governance; it’s theft. But here’s the real insult: all of this money is going to fund Trudeau’s swamp of waste and corruption. Take the ArriveCAN app, a disaster that cost $54 million—for what? A glorified QR code. Contracts were handed out to insiders, many of whom didn’t even do any work.
Then there’s the Green Slush Fund, which has wasted nearly $400 million on pet projects rife with conflicts of interest. Liberal insiders funneled taxpayer money into their own businesses, and Trudeau’s government just shrugged.
The alcohol escalator tax is going up too, adding 2% more to the already sky-high taxes on beer, wine, and spirits. And don’t forget the digital services tax, a 3% levy on platforms like Amazon and Netflix. Experts say most of this cost will be passed directly to consumers.
Final Thoughts
This is Justin Trudeau’s Canada: a nation where the poor are shielded, the rich find their loopholes, and the middle class—the backbone of this country—is bled dry. Payroll taxes, carbon taxes, alcohol taxes, income taxes—it’s all part of an elaborate scheme to fund the bloated vanity projects and corruption of a government that no longer even pretends to care about the people footing the bill.
And while Canadians are working longer hours to afford less, struggling to put food on their tables, start families, or even dream of owning a home, Trudeau jet-sets around the world like royalty. Whether it’s sipping top-shelf wine at a global summit or skiing the pristine slopes of Red Mountain, this guy lives like a king while the rest of you pick up the tab.
It’s no wonder Canadians are booing him in public—it’s not only justified, it’s well deserved. He’s earned every jeer, every shout of frustration, because his leadership has failed this country at every turn. Under Trudeau, affordability has become a joke, and hard work no longer guarantees success.
But here’s the best part, Justin: there’s an election this year. Canadians finally get the chance to tell you exactly what they think of your disastrous leadership. They’ll send your Liberal ship straight into the iceberg, where it belongs.
So, go ahead, call the election. Take the globalist agenda you’ve been so proud to champion, pack it up with your carbon-tax hypocrisy, and prepare for your next gig as a keynote speaker for the World Economic Forum. You’ve proven you’re great at reading from a script that someone else writes—just not at running a country.
Enjoy your top sirloin tonight, Justin. Canadians? They’ll be eating Kraft Dinner while watching your government fall apart. Happy New Year. And Canada, don’t forget: Taxpocalypse 2025 starts tomorrow. Let’s make it the year we take our country back.
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