The data on catering costs was released after questions were filed in the Canadian House of Commons. The most expensive catering trip cost $158,986.43 during a visit to the United Arab Emirates and the G20 summit in Johannesburg. A UK visit to meet King Charles and Prime Minister Keir Starmer had a catering bill of $60,268.31, while a Vatican trip for Pope Leo XIV's inaugural mass cost $93,780.18. In October, $16,824.65 was spent on in-flight refreshments for 55 delegates, about 11 times more than the fuel cost for that journey.
A note from the Department of National Defence said catering costs include food, non-alcoholic beverages, and associated fees like handling, delivery, storage, cleaning, disposal, taxes, and security charges. The average cost of groceries for a family of four in Canada in 2026 is $17,571.79 per year.
Carney's first year as leader has been dominated by his feud with Trump. Trump reignited trade war fears in a Truth Social post in February, claiming Canada has treated the United States very unfairly for decades. Carney apologized privately to Donald Trump at a dinner hosted by South Korea's president the week prior to an Asia-Pacific summit in South Korea. He apologized to Trump over an anti-tariff TV advertisement that included remarks by former US President Ronald Reagan. Trump increased tariffs on Canada and halted US-Canada trade talks after being infuriated by the ad.