Twitter on Fire as Canadian PM Fined for Not Declaring Gift of Sunglasses

Under Canadian law, the prime minister must report any gifts the value of which exceeds $200 within 30 days.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's failure to declare two pairs of leather-covered Fellow Earthlings-brand sunglasses presented to him by Prince Edward Island Premier Wade MacLauchlan last summer wound up costing him $100 Canadian (about $75 US). 

The eyewear, worth between $300 and $500, was not declared "as a result of an administrative error," prompting the fine, according to Trudeau's press secretary.

The sunglasses slip-up was the second time two years that Trudeau has gotten in trouble with Canada's parliamentary ethics watchdog following two vacations at a private island owned by the Aga Khan in 2016, which officials warned may have been an effort to curry political influence.

Social media users, still recovering from Trudeau's alleged 'fake eyebrow' at the G7 summit earlier this month, took to Twitter to discuss the new slipup.

As expected, some simply made light of the incident.

pic.twitter.com/zcVoFanP9F

— Tyler (@Tycann86) 22 июня 2018 г.

I want some Trudeau Sunglasses. Probably cost more to do the paperwork. pic.twitter.com/9eu7OqDYkQ

— Sean Lyall (@SeanLyall) 23 июня 2018 г.

Very shady!

— S'up? (@Limmersine) 23 июня 2018 г.

Such corruption. pic.twitter.com/kYzOxH4Ef8

— Steve McCrea (@stephenhamccrea) 22 июня 2018 г.

Oh dear, well, the good news in that story is that there is a Canadian firm manufacturing sunglasses in P.E.I. Very good to know! #madeincanada #fellowearthlings

— Cheryl Molleson Dyer (@Cherylanndyer) 22 июня 2018 г.

Others, however, said that this "seemingly trivial" fine was how things should be when it comes to government accountability.

How wonderful it must be live in a country where the worst political scandal amounts to a $100 oversight.

— Laurie Brown (@laurie658) 23 июня 2018 г.

Canada is just showing off now.

— mars (@marswalker3000) 23 июня 2018 г.

https://t.co/nYFcyYufJm Careful. It always starts with sunglasses but ends with someone taking large amounts of cash in paper bags from Karlheinz Schreiber. #cdnpoli

— Brad Fraser (@fraser_brad) 22 июня 2018 г.

That's FIVE count em' 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 violations of The Conflict of Interest Act from the guy who promised to "raise the bar" on ethics. #RealChange #RaiseTheBar #Ethics #TrudeauMustGo

— OverTaxed Father (@Canadian_Zero) 22 июня 2018 г.

Oh my,such corruption. However it is a slippery slope and I’m glad they made the point.

— Debra K Byrd (@Bigdbyrd) 23 июня 2018 г.