Why the rules don’t apply to them

Trudeau and Scheer under fire for breaking COVID-19 orders

Trudeau and Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer both defended themselves Tuesday after facing criticism for breaking COVID-19 rules.

Scheer, who took his wife and five children on a nine-seat Challenger jet, and Trudeau, who visited his family at a cottage retreat, both claimed they were following public health guidelines.

But Scheer’s trip appeared to contravene the social distancing rules urged by public health officials and Trudeau’s visit contradicted the advice of Canada’s top public health officer not to visit rural cottages during the pandemic.

Scheer took his family aboard the government plane when it stopped in Regina after first picking up Green Party MP Elizabeth May and Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough in British Columbia.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Scheer said passengers took every precaution to limit the potential spread of the virus, including avoiding “speaking moistly on each other,” a potential reference to a phrase originally used by Trudeau last week.

The Conservative leader pushed back against criticism that he and his family put the small jet at full capacity, making social distancing impossible for other passengers.

“The idea that we were packed one on top of each other is just ridiculous,” Scheer said. “We kept our distance, we kept to ourselves.”

Public health officials advocate people keep a twometre distance from others.

The jet was taking Scheer and the other two MPs back to Ottawa for the spring Parliamentary session. Scheer said he boarded the government jet because it was travelling from Vancouver to Ottawa anyway, and saved his family the need to travel through several commercial airports, and assume “all the risks associated with that.” He did not clarify why it was necessary for his family to fly with him to Ottawa.

“We decided to take a flight with just two other people,” he said. “We took great steps to make sure that we minimized interactions with each other, my wife brought (disinfectant) wipes along with her, we made sure that we were not speaking moistly on each other.”

May confirmed every seat on the Challenger plane was full once Scheer’s family boarded, but she said everyone did their best to limit potential spread.

“I wore my mask. I kept the best distance I could keep under the circumstances,” she said in an earlier interview this week.

Trudeau also faced criticism for travelling to Harrington Lake, the summer retreat of the prime minister, over the weekend to spend time with his family.

The residence is about 25 kilometres from Rideau Cottage where Trudeau has been staying, but public health officials have asked people to avoid all non-essential travel.

In Quebec specifically, police have been diverting people travelling to certain areas, including the Outaouais region where the cottage is located inside Gatineau Park.

“After three weeks of my family living up at Harrington and me living here, I went to join them for Easter. We continue to follow all the instructions from public health authorities.”

However Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, has discouraged people from going to their cottage properties.

“Urban dwellers should avoid heading to rural properties, as these places have less capacity to manage COVID-19,” she said in early April.

Trudeau’s visit also appears to contradict his own public statements last week ahead of Easter.

“Over the long weekend, we will all have to remain at home,” he said Friday.

Then, Trudeau added: “Right now, this weekend is going to be very different. You’ll have to stay home. You’ll have to Skype that big family dinner.”

And on Easter Sunday he said, “We are seeing great displays of personal sacrifice and compassion during this pandemic. Canadians are protecting their friends and families by staying home.”

BLAIR GABLE / REUTERS