Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to the media outside the Basilica of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, east of Quebec City, during Pope Francis’ papal visit Thursday, July 28, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bernard Brault Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been offered the gift of his own likeness some 17 times since becoming prime minister, including once by the president of China. The portraits, along with several wine jars and bottles and Star Wars paraphernalia, are among more than 400 gifts — worth more than $200 each — that Trudeau has declared to the federal ethics commissioner since late 2015. An analysis of the lists shows that more than 140 gifts were given to his wife, Sophie, or their children, while 110 came from heads of state or government of other countries. Of these national leaders, the king of Jordan was the most generous, bestowing Trudeau with 10 gifts, from a handmade leather saddle to “pots of plant sculpture” to jars of honey. The prime minister had to forfeit 20 items, including three paintings of himself, because they were worth more than $1,000, but has recouped part of the cost of two gifts – a Chinese e-bike and an Inuit carving – to keep them. A former chief of protocol says gift-giving is a normal, highly orchestrated bureaucratic affair, and that Canadian prime ministers would not immediately accept any gifts because of the potential for negative attention.
