OTTAWA – A firestorm has erupted on social media, with allegations that outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau diverted $450,000 in taxpayer money to bankroll his son Xavier James Trudeau’s fledgling rap career. The claims, buzzing on platforms like X since late January, coincide with the 17-year-old’s debut R&B single, “Til the Night’s Done,” released February 21, 2025. CGN Network has launched a thorough investigation to uncover whether there’s any substance behind the accusations—or if this is just another case of online outrage running wild.
The Accusation Emerges
The story broke on X, where users posted incendiary claims: “Trudeau spent 450,000 of taxpayers money to promote his sons music video in the US,” one wrote, while another decried it as a “grift” using public funds for “rap crap.” The figure—$450,000 CAD—popped up repeatedly, tied to supposed studio fees, streaming boosts, and a U.S. marketing blitz for Xavier’s track. With Trudeau stepping down as Liberal leader and prime minister on January 6, 2025, amid political and personal turbulence, the timing has fueled suspicions of favoritism in his final days.
Xavier’s Musical Leap
Xavier, the eldest son of Trudeau and his ex-wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, announced his music ambitions via an Instagram teaser in January, showing him on a bridge at night crooning, “We could roll some, we could light one.” The full single dropped last month under Pathway Music Group, a label he reportedly co-founded, earning praise from his mom—“Great work, guys!”—but snickers from critics online. The cannabis-tinged lyrics nod to Trudeau’s 2018 legalization push, adding a juicy hook for detractors. Yet, the question remains: who paid for it?
Follow the Money
CGN Network combed through public records to trace the alleged $450,000. Government budgets, including Privy Council Office and RCMP expenditures tied to the PM, show no line items for music ventures. Trudeau’s past spending—like $228,839 on a 2023 Montana trip or $190,000 on airplane food for an Indo-Pacific jaunt in 2023—has been well-documented via access-to-information requests from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. But nothing surfaces linking taxpayer cash to Xavier’s rap debut.
Arts funding? The Canada Council for the Arts offers grants, but none match this scale or timeline for a rookie artist. A high-end music video and promotion might run $50,000 to $100,000, industry insiders estimate—nowhere near $450,000. Trudeau’s personal wealth, pegged between $5 million and $10 million from inheritance and his $357,800 annual salary, could easily cover such costs without dipping into the public purse. No Liberal Party disbursements or federal contracts align with the claim either.
A Pattern of Scrutiny
Trudeau’s no stranger to spending controversies—$38,000 repaid for personal expenses in 2016, $215,398 for a 2017 Bahamas vacation—but those were small potatoes compared to this allegation. The SNC-Lavalin affair in 2019 and WE Charity scandal in 2020 showed he’s not above bending rules, yet both involved documented paper trails. Here, there’s zilch: no receipts, no leaks, no whistleblowers. The $450,000 figure feels plucked from thin air, a round number too neat to be real.
The Source of the Storm
X posts offer no hard evidence—just outrage and memes. The claim’s timing, post-Trudeau’s resignation and Xavier’s music drop, suggests it’s a viral jab at a polarizing figure, not a scoop. Canada’s $67.4 billion federal payroll in 2024 offers plenty of ammo for fiscal hawks, but this specific accusation lacks legs. Even conservative critics like the National Post, which roasted Trudeau’s pension-padding election tweak last year, haven’t touched this one.
The Findings
After exhaustive digging, CGN Network finds no proof Trudeau funneled $450,000—or any taxpayer sum—to Xavier’s rap career. The project’s modest scope and Trudeau’s personal means point to private funding, likely from family or Pathway Music Group. The rumor’s a bust—a social media flare-up fueled by anti-Trudeau sentiment, not facts.
For CGN’s audience, it’s a lesson: we nail leaders to the wall when they slip, but we don’t swing at shadows. Trudeau’s got real baggage—deficits, vacations, scandals—but this rap tale’s a ghost story. Case closed, until the next lead breaks. Stay with CGN as we keep the heat on where it counts.