Canadian taxpayers will likely foot part of the bill for a visit by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner last month, when the power couple was in Whistler to spend Passover at a ski resort.
The visit was not made public, but security was nevertheless high for U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter and his son-in-law.
NBC News has revealed that the U.S. spent US$66,538.42 on Secret Service agents, ski passes and hotel rooms for the visit.
However, as criminology professor Rob Gordon points out, the RCMP would have also had to provide security for the visit, at a cost to Canadian taxpayers.
"They need to make sure that there's adequate protection, and right now of course there are certain sensitivities around the current president and his family," Gordon, a professor at Simon Fraser University, told CTV Vancouver.
Gordon says there are strict protocols that must be followed when foreign dignitaries visit Canada. Those protocols require Washington to share travel plans with Ottawa, so the RCMP can make all the proper security and logistical arrangements.
Kushner and Trump stayed at a five-star hotel during their visit, and were largely isolated from others. However, Gordon says no matter how quiet a visit, the RCMP still needs to take every precaution with security. "If they weren't thorough and something went wrong, they would be hung out to dry," he said.
Host countries typically pick up the bill for local security and other logistical requirements when a dignitary visits from another nation. That's also the case when Canadian dignitaries visit the United States.
With files from CTV Vancouver
