Bob Mackin
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s entourage to the United Nations climate party in Glasgow included a videographer, photographer, speechwriter and an Instagrammer/Tweeter.
Justin Trudeau and billionaire Mike Bloomberg (PMO)
Trudeau returns to Ottawa Nov. 3, after a trip that included a state visit to Netherlands, Italy for the G20 leaders’ summit and Scotland for the UN’s 26th climate change conference.
The UN’s official registration list, released Nov. 1, shows 18 people from the Prime Minister’s Office in the 280-person delegation of federal and provincial government officials, non-government organizations and representatives of private industry.
Joining Trudeau are cabinet ministers Steven Guilbeault (environment), Chrystia Freeland (finance) and Jonathan Wilkinson (natural resources).
Chief of staff Katie Telford and Senior advisor Ben Chin are both listed, along with a videographer (Akshay Shawn Grover); lead speechwriter (Astrid Krizus); senior manager of digital and creative communications (Johanna Mae Robinson); and official photographer (Adam Scotti).
Trudeau is also traveling with a physician, Dr. Sandra Marie Lynne Rainbow.
The federal government has not released the approved travel budget for the event.
Former Trudeau Liberal cabinet minister Ralph Goodale leads Canada’s High Commission sub-delegation of 28, which is mainly responsible for logistics. They include an airport, aircrew and aircraft coordinator (Albert Price); vehicle dispatcher (Giles Boden-Wilson); and transportation coordinator (Katherine Last).
Justin Trudeau and President Joe Biden (PMO)
Representing opposition parties are: Conservative MP Dan Albas, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and both Green MPs, Elizabeth May and Mike Morrice.
Top provincial officials include Quebec Premier Francois Legault and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey.
Representing B.C. are environment minister George Heyman, his senior aide Kelly Anne Sather, and assistant deputy minister Jeremy Hewitt.
Canada’s politicians and bureaucrats are accompanied by 14 RCMP officers.
The UN’s Provisional List of Participants (PLOP) for COP 26 shows a total 39,509 registered from 4,972 organizations — a substantial increase from the 2019 figures of 26,706 and 2,440, respectively.
Rather than meet via web conference in 2020 due to the pandemic, the UN postponed the 26th meeting until 2021. Scotland’s Sunday Mail reported 400 private jets have carried elite political and business leaders to the conference.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s health secretary Humza Yousaf admitted to the BBC that the 25,000 delegates visiting Glasgow could lead to a spike in coronavirus cases, despite daily testing for participants and mask requirements at the central venue, which was used in 2014 for the Commonwealth Games.
The conference runs through Nov. 12.
Support theBreaker.news for as low as $2 a month on Patreon. Find out how. Click here.
