Opposition Parties Criticize Trudeau’s Publicly Funded Nannies

Justin Trudeau, the new prime minister of Canada, is under fire from opponents who say he is using taxpayer dollars to pay for two nannies hired as part of his household staff.

During the recent election, Trudeau criticized the former Conservative government for a proposed universal child care benefit that would have applied to Canada’s wealthiest families, including his own.

However, Trudeau’s own former nanny, who cared for him and his brother at 24 Sussex Dr., is speaking out in his defence.

The nannies, who are classified as special assistants under the Official Residences Act, are being paid $15 to $20 an hour during the day and $11 to $13 at night.

The issue arose in May 1984 when then Conservative leader Brian Mulroney was asked by a television interviewer if taxpayers would pay for “nannies” for his three children as they did for Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau, when he was prime minister.

“It does not jive with the very strong pronouncements he made in the election campaign that taxpayers should not be subsidizing wealthy families like his”.

“Given the nature of the prime minister’s responsibilities and his young family, the Trudeaus employ two household employees who, in addition to performing other duties around the house, act as secondary caregivers to the three children”, spokesperson Kate Purchase told the CBC.

Lecointe agrees that “rich” families should not receive government aid, but “as a prime minister, it’s a situation where you’re head of the country, you’re in charge of trying to make the best for the whole country and you’re on the job 24/7”.

Conservative party member Lisa Raitt has labelled the use of nannies as “hypocritical” and said that the positions should be funded by Trudeau’s salary.

So I never get testy when I hear that the Prime Minister travelled on a specialized military jet instead of flying commercial, or that his security arrangements cost big money, or that the official residence (Rideau Cottage, these days) has a chef, groundskeepers or cleaners.

Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose said Trudeau ought to be paying his own child care bills.

Purchase has yet to specify what the other duties entail, but notes that a small number of staff provide assistance to the Trudeau family, and that similar arrangements existed for their predecessors.

This means the Trudeau caregivers are not additional full-time hires at the prime minister’s residence – news that seems to have deflated some of the criticism.

Prime Minister designate Justin Trudeau arrives at Rideau Hall with his family to be sworn in as the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, November 4, 2015.

Now that’s a party trick!

Trudeau made a campaign stop in Laval, Quebec.

On Thanksgiving Monday, the whole family went to a pumpkin patch in Gatineau, Quebec.

Trudeau and Gregoire play with Hadrien on the shores of Frobisher Bay in Iqualuit in October.