Canada’s Public Safety minister Bill Blair released a statement towards the end of February, confirming that the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) has continuously been offering assistance to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex since they arrived in Canada "intermittently since November 2019." While Mr. Blair pointed out that Harry and Meghan are International Protected Persons and qualified for the state’s protection, he noted that would no longer be the case.
His statement sparked an enraged public backlash, triggering calls for the amount spent on the royals' security to be returned immediately to the taxpayer. The CTF (Canadian Taxpayers Federation) federal director Aaron Wudrick told Express that is a large number of people who are still livid about having to pay for the multimillionaire royals security.
Canadians taxpayers believe that the government should refund the security cost they have been made to pay until now, Mr. Wudrick, who inspired the launch of the petition said. In addition to that, he urges Mr. Trudeau to refrain from even paying a penny for Harry and Meghan's security.
Just days after launching, the petition garnered a whopping 100,000 signatures, as typical hard-working civilians vented their frustration about having to pay for the lavish lifestyle of the well-heeled royals. Mr. Wudrick was critical about how the Canadian government attempted to hide the fact that it was shelling out millions of pounds for paying security costs of the royals.
Reports that surfaced back in January suggested that Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau had guaranteed the Queen that the Canadian government would bear the costs of providing around the clock protection for the royal couple. Mr. Trudeau neither confirmed nor denied these reports, despite the media's repeated requests for clarification.
According to the director of the CTF, it is quite alarming that Mr. Trudeau refrained from explaining. “It’s one thing to spend money and if there is a difference of opinion about it, then the government can defend its position," it added pointing out that they knew the citizens were paying but chose to remain mum and that's not acceptable.
When the CTF asked for clarification, the government refused to answer. Mr. Wudrick’s statement comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the country isn't willing to endure the cost of protecting Harry and Meghan, given that they have reportedly migrated to Los Angeles now.
Trump took to Twitter on Sunday noting that he is a great admirer and friend of the Queen and the U.K., but the United States will not pay for their security protection, further emphasizing that the royal couple must pay for their own security.