Ministers to bunk in dorms during cabinet retreat at Sudbury’s Laurentian U
OTTAWA — After shelling out almost half a million dollars for Justin Trudeau to hole up with his 30 ministers at two different luxury resorts, taxpayers will get a break this weekend when the prime minister hosts his third cabinet retreat since taking office last fall.
The two-day retreat, which starts Sunday, is being held at Sudbury’s Laurentian University where the ministers will be sharing student dorms.
“We are matching people up and making sure everybody’s roommates are all good,” said Kate Purchase, Trudeau’s communications director.
Keeping costs down does not appear to be the motivation behind the unusual accommodations. It’s more about ensuring ministers get out of the Ottawa bubble and don’t lose touch with ordinary folks.