Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he works more than “the vast majority of Canadians” during a heated exchange with The Counter Signal’s Editor-in-Chief, Keean Bexte.
“As you know, I work more days a week than the vast majority of Canadians,” he said, adding “I work incredibly hard.”
Clearly upset that Bexte dared to ask him questions on a public beach during his vacation, the Prime Minister pointed to a November 2023 National Post report. The analysis counted all the “personal days” Trudeau has taken since he took office nine years ago.
As per the report: “Since coming to power in 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken 680 ‘personal’ days – the equivalent of 22 months or nearly two years – an analysis of his public itineraries shows.”
It further stated that this represented 24% of each year, noting that’s less than the average Canadian’s annual time off (34%).
Bexte’s interview with Trudeau, currently vacationing with his kids, has received mixed reviews. Some claim it’s poor etiquette to disrupt his vacation, despite being on a public beach. Others note that Bexte has repeatedly tried to ask Trudeau questions, such as at the Liberal’s cabinet retreat last fall, without success.
Vacation scandal
In December 2023, the Prime Minister’s 9-day Jamaican vacation sparked controversy when a National Post report caught Trudeau in a lie. The PMO originally claimed that Trudeau’s trip was being paid for “out of pocket,” but it was later revealed that his accommodations at a fancy $9,300-a-night villa was actually gifted to him.
A 2022 analysis by The Counter Signal revealed that Prime Minister Trudeau worked 0-2 hours for 42% of the year.
