King Charles: A three-day visit to Canada cost taxpayers at least $1.4 million

King Charles’ three-day Canadian royal tour in 2022 cost Canadian taxpayers at least $1.4 million, according to documents obtained by CTVNews.ca.

On a stormy trip May 17-19, the then Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall spent about 57 hours across Newfoundland and the Northwest Territories, Ontario, spending more than $25,000 an hour. visited at the cost of

The $1.4 million does not include government, military or police salaries or normal operating costs, so the actual bill is higher. Hmm.

This includes overtime, vehicle fleets, VIP flights, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Department of Defense and Canadian Heritage, and armed guards paid by federal departments that oversaw travel and its planning.

This figure is based on access to a pair of requests for information filed with Canadian Heritage and data provided by the Department of Defense, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other government agencies. Canadian Heritage figures should be considered preliminary and are very likely to increase once official data is released in March 2023.

“Accounting for the 2022 Royal Tour is still ongoing,” a spokesperson for Canadian Heritage told CTVNews.ca. “All royal tour costs will be shared between the federal and state/territory governments based on the duration and number of events held in each region.”

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, Prince Charles became King and Camilla became Queen. The May 2022 visit to Canada was to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, which marks the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne.

The Department of Defense paid for the airlift of Charles and Camilla to, from, and within Canada aboard VIP Airbus CC-150 Polaris jets with sleeping quarters, commonly known as Can Force One. Burdened. In total, this trip covered more than 12,000 kilometers of his journey.

The $568,000 is approximate and includes “airplane flight costs and associated support services to transport members of the royal family, along with Royal Tour personnel identified by Canadian Heritage,” according to a defense spokesperson. A welcome ceremony held on 17 May at St. John’s, NL was attended by approximately 450 Canadian military personnel, including approximately 100 who assisted air transport and at least 100 for the guard of honor.

RCMP was primarily responsible for security. Outside of salaries, the RCMP spent $172,175 on overtime and $189,156 on travel expenses, including meals, lodging, and transportation, for a total of $361,331. An RCMP spokeswoman said additional costs could still be processed.

According to access to two requests for information filed by CTVNews.ca, the more than $509,714 spent by Canadian Heritage included at least $221,634 in travel and hospitality costs, including air tickets, accommodations, meals and per diems. dollars included. $11,453 and up for rental cars, taxis and bus fleets. Overtime pay for just his three employees made him over $11,496. Fee to historic Lord Elgin Hotel in Ottawa $6,404. At least $5,287 for a COVID-19 rapid test score. Image copyright $3,550. $2,945 for printing services. Other expenses such as flowers, medical personal protective equipment, “VIP agency services”, gifts, etc. Canadian Heritage also paid for the hospitality of his 20 to 30 British delegation, including the staff of King Charles’ London residence, Clarence House. A hypothetical Canadian Heritage cost breakdown can be found at the end of this article.

An April 2022 memo prepared to Canada’s Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said, “It is customary for the host country to cover the cost of hospitality, including Clarence House staff.” “As the lead federal department for planning and conducting the 2022 Royal Tour, the Canadian Heritage Department will cover the hospitality costs.”

Canadian Heritage will receive $140,685.64 in expenses from Services and Procurement Canada, including overtime for 20 employees, and the Governor General’s expenses, which will be spent on work, accommodation and meal planning for royal visitors and support staff. Covered $35,718.91 from secretarial office. Reception at Rideau Hall, home of the Governor-General, the monarch’s appointed representative in Canada.

Additional costs may have been absorbed by other departments, the police, and the government level.

In a statement to CTVNews.ca, the Ontario government and the cities of Ottawa, Yellowknife and St. John’s reported that no costs would be incurred for the 2022 Royal Tour. The governments of Newfoundland, Labrador and the Northwest Territories said figures were not yet finalized.Ottawa Police and Royal Newfoundland Police did not respond to requests for comment. Ontario Police said the figures will only be released through a Freedom of Information Request.The National Capital Commission, the state-owned corporation that oversees federal property in and around Ottawa, has paid $283.40 for audiovisual services for the event at Rideau Hall. was reported to have spent The $1.4 million does not include costs borne by UK taxpayers.

The cost of King Charles and Camilla’s final royal tour of Canada over the summer of 2017 was $487,660 for Canadian Heritage. Since 2010, his eight official royal tours to Canada by members of the royal family have cost him over $7 million in Canadian Heritage alone. The late Queen Elizabeth II’s final nine-day visit to Canada in 2010 was the most expensive of all, costing her Canadian heritage at least $2.79 million.

Such visits represent just a fraction of what the Canadian throne ties cost Canadian taxpayers each year.

According to the Canadian Federation of Monarchists, our constitutional monarchy cost the government about $58.75 million in the 2019-2020 fiscal year alone. This includes running the Governor’s Office, traveling abroad, and the salaries and expenses of the Lieutenant Governor. and royal tour. That’s about $1.55 per Canadian per year. This is just below her $2.10 crown cost per British citizen.

The Federation of Canadian Monarchists believes it is a good value for Canadians.

“The Queen and the current King, together with members of their families, do not come to Canada to benefit Great Britain or indeed any other Commonwealth Kingdom”. It is to celebrate important events in the life of the nation, highlighting achievements and addressing their challenges and problems.”

Canada’s Monarchist League was recently awarded a $187,500 grant from Canadian Heritage to distribute 70,000 educational booklets in honor of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee this year. Finch said all royal his tours are at the invitation of the host country, as well as many personal visits, including hospital patrons and members with honorary military ranks. He describes Canadians’ relationship and attitude to the monarchy as “deep and enduring”.

“Canadian politics is one of democratic institutions and liberties under the crown,” said Finch. “To change its political system would require the unanimous consent of 10 state legislatures and legislatures, and the complexity lies not just in why such a change is necessary, but in what new institutions it entails. We’ll focus on what’s superseded and clearly better.”

Tom Freda, civic director of the Canadian advocacy group, believes support for the Canadian monarchy is “declining” due to the high cost of visiting the royal family.

“We don’t see purpose at all,” Freda told CTVNews.ca. “Obviously, official visits in general are a necessary part of international relations and diplomacy. As the host country, we cover the costs of all visiting dignitaries.”

A group that wants to replace the British monarch with Canada’s head of state has used Access to Information to uncover data on past royal tour costs.

“Canada seems to be ignoring royal visits,” Freda said. “As far as we know, they bolster support for the royal family (ironically, they do the opposite by drawing attention to their existence and expense), and the political and business elite It is designed to give you the opportunity to interact.

The above document outlines the costs incurred by Canadian Heritage during Prince Charles’ Royal Tour of Canada in 2022.