OTTAWA — Over a month after the Toronto Sun revealed that Prime Minister Mark Carney spent $524,000 on in-flight catering during his first year in office, newly-released documents detail what the PM and his guests enjoyed at 30,000 feet.
Catering Costs Under Scrutiny
Catering invoices obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) show $195,400 was spent on high-priced airline food on three separate flights of CANFORCE ONE, including veal, beef tenderloin with bordelaise sauce, and Scottish salmon fillet, along with high-ticket bottles of wine.
"Carney spent more money on airplane food during three trips than the average family will spend on groceries in a decade," said CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano. "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."
Meal Menus and Wine Lists
The PM's March 2025 trip to London saw $52,610 spent on in-flight meals. Passengers could choose between grilled chicken breast in tarragon mustard sauce and red wine-braised beef for lunch, with roasted chicken with potato gratin or pan-seared salmon with lemon and herb couscous for dinner. Wine lists featured 2021 Inniskillin Montague Vineyard Chardonnay, Cave Springs Cellars Cabernet Franc 2020, and a 2020 Meyer Family Vineyards Pinot Noir.
During the May 2025 trip to Rome for the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV, invoices show the RCAF was billed 53,127 euros ($85,431.67 CAD) for two meal services. VVIP passengers had chicken breast or beef lasagna, with mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, Mediterranean salad, and creme brulee. Costs for those entrees ranged from 220 euros ($353 CAD) to 260 euros ($418 CAD). The second meal offered veal escalope or salmon with chocolate mousse.
Passenger Meal Options
Passengers in the front cabin, including staffers and Parliamentary Press Gallery members, received the same meal choices despite earlier assurances that non-VVIP passengers would no longer get meal options after Governor General Mary Simon's $100,000 catering spree in 2022.
For the June 2025 flight to the Canada-EU Summit in Brussels, the catering bill was just over $49,000 CAD. Menus offered roast chicken breast with buttered carrots in white wine gravy or beef tenderloin with bordelaise sauce for the first meal, and french toast or cheese omelets with turkey sausage for the second. The return flight featured beef stroganoff or grilled chicken breast, then salmon fillet or braised beef in red wine reduction. Quantities and unit prices were redacted.
Comparison to Average Household
Previous reporting by the Toronto Sun put Carney's in-flight catering bill at $524,000 for his first year, about what the average Canadian family spends on groceries in 30 years. The 2026 Food Price Report estimates average annual grocery costs for a family of four at $17,571.79. The costliest trip was the November 2025 visit to the UAE and G20 summit in Johannesburg, with a catering bill of $158,986.43. During one trip to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, the RCAF paid 11 times more on food than on fuel.
"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."
