Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has come under scrutiny for reportedly spending over half a million dollars on in-flight catering during his inaugural year in office, with taxpayers bearing the cost.

According to figures acquired by the Toronto Sun, Carney’s expenses for in-flight meals amounted to $524,815 (approximately US$379,105) across 28 flights from March 2025 to February 2026.

This information emerged following inquiries made in the Canadian House of Commons, shedding light on the prime minister’s travel expenditures.

One notable expenditure was $21,159 spent on catering during a brief two-hour flight to Washington D.C. on May 5, marking Carney’s first official visit to meet with Donald Trump.

The priciest journey occurred during visits to the United Arab Emirates and the G20 summit in Johannesburg, where catering costs reportedly reached $158,986.43.

Another significant expense was recorded in October, when nearly $16,824.65 was spent on in-flight refreshments for a delegation of 55 people, a sum reportedly 11 times higher than the fuel cost for that trip, as reported by the Toronto Sun.

A UK visit, where Carney met King Charles and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, came with a bill of $60,268.31, while a Vatican trip for Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass cost $93,780.18.

A note attached to the release of the data from the Department of National Defence reportedly said catering costs ‘include the cost of food, non-alcoholic beverages, and associated fees, including catering handling and delivery, storage, cleaning and disposal of international waste, airport taxes, administrative fees, security charges, and local taxes.’

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney waves as he boards his plane to depart for Norway, in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, March 12, 2026

Daily Mail has contacted the Prime Minister’s Office for comment.

Canadian Taxpayers Federation director Franco Terrazzano told the Toronto Sun: ‘Carney billed more money for airplane food in one year than an average Canadian family will spend on groceries in about 30 years.’

‘I guess one way to beat the high cost of groceries in Canada is to take government work trips and bill taxpayers for expensive airplane food.’

According to Canada’s 2026 Food Price Report, the average cost of groceries for a family of four over a year is $17,571.79. 

Carney’s first year as Canada’s leader has been dominated by his feud with Trump.

Trump reignited trade war fears in a Truth Social post in February, claiming ‘Canada has treated the United States very unfairly for decades.’

Carney had earlier apologized to Trump over an anti-tariff TV advertisement that included remarks made by former US President Ronald Regan. 

Trump was so infuriated by the ad, which aired in the US, that he increased tariffs on the country and halted US-Canada trade talk.

One short trip to Washington, DC, where he met US President Donald Trump, saw food costs soar to nearly 11 times the price of fuel

Speaking at an Asia-Pacific summit in South Korea, he said he had apologized privately to Trump at a dinner hosted by South Korea’s president the week prior.

‘I did apologize to the president,’ Carney admitted.

Carney, who replaced Justin Trudeau in March last year, ran a campaign that often pushed back at the president, specifically sharing his opposition of tariffs and Trump’s suggestion Canada would one day become the 51st state of the US.  

Carney has focused on trying to steer away from America and not rely on it as much as his country has in the past.

Instead, he has looked toward strengthening ties with other nations, including South Africa, China and India.