Canada splurges on wining, dining in the U.S.

at multilateral institutions — a reflection, perhaps, of the Liberals’ warmer stance toward such international bodies as the United Nations. Spending at the UN general assembly in New York is up 50 per cent.

There have also been changes based on how the trade winds have blown. While the Harper government spent significantly more in Seoul, South Korea, as Canada negotiated a bilateral trade deal with that country signed in March 2014, the Trudeau government has spent more at the European Union outpost in Brussels, where it finalized the Canada-EU trade deal toward the end of 2016. As Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations were resurrected last year, more was being spent in Japan, the 11-country deal’s prize market.

Still, even though the North American Free Trade Agreement is being renegotiated — a significant source of angst in the Canada-U.S. relationship — there has been no major change in Canada’s hospitality spending in Mexico. Officials did host a “NAFTA renegotiation” breakfast at the Mexico City Hilton last June, just two months before the first negotiating round began, costing about $1,600.

Trudeau’s government has focused on increasing trade with giants India and China. This shows itself in hospitality budgets for India — about 17 per cent bigger now overall, having grown to an average of $126,000 per year, up from $108,000. Spending in Beijing and at three consulates in mainland China has gone down slightly, however, dropping to $166,000 annually from around $173,000 — still enough to stock up on a significant amount of ice wine and maple syrup, the records show.

Under the Liberals, diplomats have spent a little less in London, Paris and Berlin, but twice as much in Tel Aviv. In Kabul, Afghanistan, hospitality costs have gone down by half.

In L.A., Canada hosted a Grammy Awards party in 2016, and another for the Emmys in 2017, costing at least $13,000 and $8,600 respectively, according to documents. Catering for a Rufus Wainwright concert cost a little over $9,000. A diplomat bought some cookies at Whole Foods for $31.

In Washington, D.C., so many events are held — on everything from a “truth and reconciliation” event to one honouring “international women judges” — and so much wine is purchased that staff held a wine tasting last year “for future events at the embassy,” to figure out what tobuy. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with Ivanka Trump in Washington, D.C., in October. Across all of Canada’s outposts to the U.S., spending has doubled to more than $1 million per year.