From the Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Author: Franco Terrazzano 

At the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in France, bureaucrats spent $9,930 on “umbrella stand coordinator services”

The Trudeau government blew more than $2.7 million on high-profile film and music festivals around the world, where they made taxpayer cash rain throwing expensive parties.

All that spending occurred for events that took place during a 16-month period, between January 2023 and May 2024, according to government records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

Bureaucrats attended the Oscars, the Cannes Film Festival in France, the Berlinale film festival in Germany, and the South by Southwest music and film festivals in Austin, Texas and Australia – all on the taxpayer dime.

“Government bureaucrats spent $175,000 a month partying it up at international film and music festivals,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. “In what world does it make sense for bureaucrats to blow millions of taxpayer dollars on festivals when the government is more than a trillion dollars in debt and record numbers of Canadians are lining up at food banks?”

During South by Southwest festivals, bureaucrats spent $35,000 on plant and furniture rentals for a “Canada House” event, as well as $5,000 on “DJ services” and “animation services.”

An additional $15,000 was spent on a “social media champion” for the Canada House. Food and drink catering costs for a reception, as well as an “opening party” came to $11,700.

The 2023 South by Southwest festival in Australia also had a “Canada House,” with costs totalling at least $97,000. Bureaucrats also expensed $17,000 for an “event coordinator.”

At the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in France, bureaucrats spent $9,930 on “umbrella stand coordinator services.”

During the Berlinale festival, the rental fee for a “Canada Pavilion” came to $74,000.

Additional expenses at the festivals included professional photographers and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on decoration services.

“Maybe government bureaucrats should figure out how to do basic things, like answering taxpayers’ phone calls, before trying to DJ international parties,” Terrazzano said. “Taxpayers are giving this international film festival party junket two big thumbs down.”

The spending happened at the ministries of Global Affairs Canada and Canadian Heritage, with money also spent by the National Film Board.

All told, the cost to taxpayers came in at $2,798,719, according to the records. The events all occurred during a 16-month period. That means the average spending on the festivals was $174,919 per month.

The government has already earmarked spending for future film and music festivals, with bureaucrats indicating the “plan is to continue to support Canadian talent at these world-class markets,” according to the records.

The details were released in response to an order paper question submitted by Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner (Calgary Nose Hill).

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre said ‘it’s time to put forward a motion for a carbon tax election’

The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) will bring a motion of non-confidence in the House of Commons as early as next week, it has now been confirmed by party leader Pierre Poilievre.

Speaking with reporters today in Ottawa, Poilievre confirmed that a confidence motion will soon be introduced.

“It’s time to put forward a motion for a carbon tax election,” he said, adding that an election is needed because the Trudeau Liberals plan to raise the carbon tax another 300 percent in the coming years.

“Canadians can vote to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget, and stop the crime with a common-sense Conservative government.”

CPC Branden Leslie on X today confirmed the forthcoming confidence motion as well.

“It’s official that next week, Conservatives will introduce a motion of non-confidence in the House of Commons,” he said.

“Please SHARE this post to send the NDP a message that Canadians want a carbon tax election NOW!”

The text of the non-confidence motion will read, “The House has no confidence in the Prime Minister and the Government.”

An earlier report from the Toronto Star said sources let it be known that Trudeau’s government will let a confidence motion proceed as early as September 24. On this day, Poilievre will be allowed to have full control of the House’s agenda and introduce motions at will.

While it is traditional confidence motions are used mainly when it comes to budget, they can also be brought forth for other reasons as well. The CPC will need the support of Jagmeet Singh’s New Democratic Party (NDP) at a minimum and the Bloc Québécois. Should the initial motion or any others pass, Trudeau will have no choice but to dissolve parliament, which would trigger a general election, most likely in November.

The confidence motion comes after Trudeau lost support from the socialist NDP to keep him in power. Singh pulled his official support for Trudeau’s Liberals two weeks ago. However, in recent days he has been mum on whether he will vote for or against the Liberals when a vote occurs.

The Trudeau Liberals have also lost two recent byelections, one in Quebec and the other in Ontario, in what were considered “safe” Liberal ridings.

The most recent loss suggests that Trudeau’s Liberal government is indeed hanging on by a thread, according to all recent polls that have shown that Poilievre’s Conservative Party is set to win big when the next federal election takes place.

The souring of voters to the Liberal Party under Trudeau comes at the same time that even some of his MPs are turning on him. Last week, LifeSiteNews reported that Liberal MP Alexandra Mendès, who serves as the assistant deputy speaker of the House of Commons, became the first in the party to publicly call for Trudeau to resign, saying directly that he is not the “right leader” for the party.