Canada will host the G7 summit in June with the total cost to Canadian taxpayers being set at $605 million, a spokesperson for Global Affairs told Global News on Tuesday evening.
The funding was announced during Tuesday’s budget, although some of the money was allocated in the previous budget.
READ MORE: Trudeau government reveals the 2018 federal budget
Given that U.S. President Donald Trump will join Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and five other leaders at the event in Quebec’s Charlevoix region, it is not a surprise that the biggest portion of the funds will be spent on security. The RCMP has been allocated $259 million to provide security to the summit.
In addition, National Defence ($35 million), Public Safety Canada ($99 million), CSIS ($2 million) and the Canadian Border Services Agency ($1 million) have all been granted funds.
WATCH: Highlights of the 2017 G7 Summit
Global Affairs Canada, which manages the country’s diplomatic and consular relations, will receive the second biggest payout of $100 million. The federal department is also in charge of planning all of the event details.
READ MORE: Canada’s 2018 budget contains no timetable to balance books
Other agencies which are expected to receive a piece of the pie include Public Services and Procurement Canada ($34 million), Shared Services Canada ($34 million), Health Canada ($8 million), Department of Finance Canada ($6 million) and Public Health Agency of Canada ($2 million).
A further $25 million has been set aside in a financial kitty as well.
WATCH: Federal budget sets table for next year’s election budget
In addition to Trump and Trudeau, the leaders of the other nations expected to attend include French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
READ MORE: Trudeau government wants to lift mystery of G7 summit by involving Canadians
Similar to the theme of the 2018 budget, the Liberals are looking to make gender equity a major theme of the government’s G7 presidency.
Canada last hosted the summit in 2010, when there were eight countries involved. Russia has since been suspended from attending the meetings.
The 2010 meetings were held in Ontario’s Muskoka region and were followed by a G20 summit in Toronto. The security for the two events cost over $1 billion.
Comments