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In what could be viewed as either another blow to his pledge to deliver open and transparent government or a principled stand for prime ministerial privacy rights, Justin Trudeau’s office is refusing to say whether the partly taxpayer-subsidized costs of caring for his three young children are considered a “taxable benefit.”

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On Sept. 26, Conservative MP Garnett Genuis filed a written query that asked, “with regard to services provided to the Prime Minister, including nanny and childcare services, are they considered to be a taxable benefit?”

On Monday, the government delivered its terse one-line reply to the House:

“As the protection of taxpayer information is of utmost importance, the confidentiality provisions of the Income Tax Act prevent the discussion of specific cases.”

This isn’t the first time that opposition members have turned to the order paper with questions about the prime minister’s child care arrangements.