The Government of Canada flew Vancouver celebrity restaurateur and Chef Vikram Vij to India at the expense of taxpayer's money to cook for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other ministers.
Vij, the co-founder of Vancouver's Vij's restaurant, was flown to India as Trudeau is on a week-long trip in the country.
At a meeting between the Canadian High Commissioner and a delegation to India, Vij was thanked for dinner.
The meeting also included Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains.
The parliamentary secretary for national revenue, Kamal Khera tweeted about the meeting on Monday.
Vij had cooked for an event that saw convicted Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal attending the event.
He had also cooked for a reception hosted by the Canadian High Commissioner on Thursday.
Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Elizabeth Reid said that Global Affairs Canada covered Vij's airfare and accommodation, but did not disclose how much his trip cost the taxpayers.
"Mr.
Vij's involvement will contribute to make the event a memorable celebration of the Canada-India friendship," Global News quoted Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Elizabeth Reid as saying.
Goldy Hyder, a communications strategist and CEO of Hill and Knowlton Strategies, said it was a "wise investment" to bring Vij to India during Trudeau's trip.
"I think it's an opportunity for us to showcase our food, showcase our agricultural industry which is in great demand here in India," he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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