EN FR

Slow simmered beef, fine wine, luxury butter cups: Inside the PM’s taxpayer-funded flights

Author: Jen Hodgson 2026/05/27

Prime Minister Mark Carney and his entourage spent $195,400 indulging in in-flight meals such as veal, beef tenderloin with bordelaise sauce and Scottish salmon fillet, according to documents obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

“Carney spent more money on airplane food during three trips than the average family will spend on groceries in a decade,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. “When the government is paying more than a billion dollars a week to cover interest charges on the debt, it’s time to stop irresponsible overspending on luxuries like gourmet in-flight dining.”

Despite promises of restraint, the prime minister and his entourage continue running up bills on luxury multi-course meals and premium wine while flying internationally.

The catering menus on Carney’s international flights included beef tenderloin, a salad topped with “cucumber pearls,” braised beef served with a red wine reduction, “Italian, Spanish and European selection of charcuterie” and a “luxury Normandy butter cup.”

The prime minister and his entourage also had four wines to choose from, including Le Clos Jordanne Le Grand Clos Pinot Noir 2017, which goes for $55 per bottle, and Meyer Family Vineyards Pinot Noir 2020, which goes for $56 per bottle.

Carney and his entourage billed taxpayers $195,400 for airplane food during three trips to London, U.K., Rome, Italy and Brussels, Belgium in 2025, according to government records.

For context, that in-flight catering bill could pay for a family of four to enjoy steak dinners, wine and crème brûlée at The Keg once a month for 50 years.

That catering bill could also cover a Canadian family’s groceries for more than a decade.

Carney even racked up a larger in-flight catering bill than former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

Carney and his entourage spent $93,780 on in-flight catering during a trip to Rome, Italy, in May 2025. For comparison, when Trudeau and his entourage flew to Italy in 2024, they spent $43,000 on airplane food, records show. Despite repeatedly promising Canadians that his government would “spend less,” Carney spent twice as much as Trudeau on airplane food during trips to Italy.

In-flight meals during Carney’s Rome trip included veal escalope and Greek-style grilled chicken with orzo pasta and feta cheese. For breakfast they enjoyed a “herb and smoked gouda omelet” with turkey sausage and breakfast potatoes and crêpes with vanilla cream and fruit compote. For dessert, passengers had blueberry cheesecake, crème brûlée and chocolate mousse, records show.

Carney and his entourage spent $49,043 on airplane food during a trip to Brussels and the Netherlands in June 2025.

During the flights on this trip, meals included “sautéed beef with world famous creamy sauce,” chicken with white wine gravy and “slow simmered beef with red wine reduction sauce.”

Carney and his delegation spent $52,610 on airplane food during a trip to London, U.K, in March 2025.

Meals included red wine braised beef with pearl onion and edamame ragu, pan-seared salmon with lemon and herb couscous and lamb rump.

“Carney has repeatedly told Canadians he would spend less, but he spent more money on airplane food than Trudeau,” Terrazzano said. “The prime minister shouldn’t need a focus group to recommend him to stop billing taxpayers half-a-million dollars on airplane food in one year.”

Since becoming prime minister, Carney and his entourage billed taxpayers a total of $524,000 on airplane food, according to records released in response to two separate order paper questions.


A Note for our Readers:

Is Canada Off Track?

Canada has problems. You see them at gas station. You see them at the grocery store. You see them on your taxes.

Is anyone listening to you to find out where you think Canada’s off track and what you think we could do to make things better?

You can tell us what you think by filling out the survey

Franco Terrazzano
Federal Director

Hey, it’s Franco.

Did you know that you can get the inside scoop right from my notebook each week? I’ll share hilarious and infuriating stories the media usually misses with you every week so you can hold politicians accountable.

You can sign up for our Action Update emails

Looks good!
Please enter your first name
Looks good!
Please enter your last name
Looks good!
Please enter a valid email address
Looks good!
Please enter a valid postal code. Ex. K1K1K1

We take data security and privacy seriously. Your information will be kept safe.