Prime Minister’s Luxury Airline Meals Raise Eyebrows

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), a citizen advocacy group, recently disclosed that Prime Minister Mark Carney spent close to $160,000 on lavish airline meals during a single overseas trip. This revelation came out on Wednesday.

The CTF’s report is based on government records detailing Mr. Carney’s week-long journey in November 2025, which included stops in Athens, Abu Dhabi, Johannesburg, and the Canary Islands, alongside 55 accompanying staff members. The staggering food expense breaks down to around $2,850 for each individual.

While part of this hefty bill can be linked to the high-end nature of the food—think dinners featuring Chilean sea bass and beef tenderloin—the CTF also highlighted some eye-popping prices, like $90 for a glass of orange juice and $176 for bottled water.

Franco Terrazzano, the CTF’s Federal Director, voiced his frustration, stating, “Mr. Carney spent more on in-flight meals on one trip than the average family spends on groceries in almost 10 years.” He questioned Carney’s commitments to cutting spending, asking, “If he’s not cutting meals, what is he actually planning to cut?”

Terrazzano pointed out that other Canadian officials manage to keep their food costs under control during travel, remarking, “If other politicians can avoid these exorbitant charges, surely Mr. Carney can do the same.” He suggested that it’s feasible for a prime minister to travel abroad without loading taxpayers with such high food costs.

Previously, the CTF accused Carney of incurring around $200,000 in catering fees for three flights across Canada in early 2025, with a notable $94,000 bill for a trip to Rome. Over his first year in office, the total expense for air travel reached nearly $1 million.

In June, the Canadian Department of Defense indicated that this figure could be misleading, as the meal expenses on the CANFORCE One flight didn’t quite align with the invoices and other records made public. The CTF has emphasized that Mr. Carney’s food costs were significantly higher than those of most Canadian officials, noting that the government has faced criticism for excess travel expenses and had pledged to address this issue in prior years. Mr. Carney himself had promised to be more frugal compared to his predecessor.

On Wednesday, Carney acknowledged the criticism, stating that despite his commitment to responsible spending, Canadian taxpayers ended up “paying for their caviar hopes with a meatloaf budget.”