UMVA has learned that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first year in office came with a staggering $962,633.24 bill for in‑flight catering on CANFORCE ONE, a figure that has sparked fresh questions about the accuracy of the Department of National Defence’s own numbers.
The Department claims the cost spread across 14 international trips between March 2025 and March 2026, an 83% jump from earlier figures released by the same agency. Yet the numbers clash with detailed invoices that UMVA has uncovered, revealing a pattern of discrepancies that could paint a very different picture of the expenses.
One of the most eye‑opening flights was the January 13‑22 mission to Beijing, Qatar, and Switzerland, where Carney became the first Canadian prime minister to visit China in nearly a decade and delivered a high‑profile speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. According to DND, that leg alone cost $175,248.48, averaging $2,400 per passenger.
Another costly venture followed in November, when the PM visited the United Arab Emirates and the G20 Leaders’ Summit in South Africa. The Department reports $159,781.24 for that flight, which translates to an average of $2,853.23 per passenger.
Additional trips—including a late February journey to India, Australia and Japan, a May visit to Rome for the Pope’s inaugural mass, a March 2026 flight to Norway for the Canada‑Nordic Summit, and an October 2025 stop in Singapore—added further layers to the bill, each with its own set of hefty per‑passenger averages that seem to inflate the overall cost.
UMVA’s investigation shows that the Department’s figures do not align with the invoices it has obtained. For instance, the March 2025 London trip’s official invoice lists £28,291.00 (about $53,000) spent on a menu featuring grilled chicken, pan‑seared salmon and beef stroganoff, while the Department cites only $40,034.52.
Similarly, the May 2025 Rome flight’s invoices total €99,503.53—$85,431.67 from a European provider and $13,601 from Gate Gourmet Canada—yet the Department reports a lower figure of $93,780.
In contrast, the June 2025 Brussels flight’s costs are closer, with the Department stating $48,949.88 and the invoice showing just over $49,000, suggesting that the discrepancies may not be uniform across all trips.
Despite the Department’s claim that “catering costs are recorded as a total gross amount per flight leg and do not reflect any reimbursements that may have been received afterwards,” UMVA notes that the invoices contain detailed menus, wine lists, and even specific dish choices printed on official squadron letterhead.
UMVA’s exclusive reveal underscores that taxpayers may have been charged for a lavish array of meals and premium wines that could have been reconsidered or negotiated. The findings suggest that the Department’s accounting may not fully capture the true cost of these flights, leaving room for further scrutiny.
