Airdrie-East MLA Angela Pitt said she was "extremely disappointed" when news broke that some of her caucus colleagues travelled internationally over the Christmas holidays – news that has embroiled the Alberta government in controversy in the last week.
"I don't think that it's fair to be a part of a government that put a number of restrictions on Albertans, then chose not to follow the guidelines themselves," Pitt said. "While what my colleagues did by travelling wasn't illegal, it certainly wasn't respectful to many Albertans who made significant sacrifices."
The controversy surrounding politicians' travel plans emerged after news broke in late December that multiple politicians and government employees vacationed abroad over the holidays. Albertans were quick to express their outrage, as social gathering restrictions directed people to limit their Christmas celebrations to within their own household and a provincial and federal advisory was in effect discouraging all non-essential travel.
Public outcry over the issue led Premier Jason Kenney to announce the resignation and demotion of multiple United Conservative Party (UCP) MLAs on Jan. 4.
“Last Friday, I took responsibility for not having been clear enough with members of the government caucus and others in positions of leadership that they should not travel abroad,” Kenney wrote in a Facebook post. “Over the weekend, I have listened to Albertans who are sending a clear message that they want real consequences for these actions."
Kenney said he accepted the resignation of former Municipal Affairs Minister Tracy Allard, who travelled to Hawaii over the holidays, and asked his chief of staff Jamie Huckabay to step down after he took a trip to the United Kingdom. Additionally, he said he accepted the resignation of Calgary-Klein MLA Jeremy Nixon as Parliamentary Secretary for Civil Society and Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephan from the Treasury Board. Nixon travelled to Hawaii while Stephan went to Arizona.
Other travelling UCP MLAs who lost their committee responsibilities in the legislature include Calgary-Peigan MLA Tanya Fir, Lesser Slave Lake MLA Pat Rehn, and Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo MLA Tany Yao.
“By travelling abroad over the holidays, these individuals demonstrated extremely poor judgment,” Kenney wrote.
Pitt said she was blindsided when she found out some of her colleagues had chosen to travel, after social gathering restrictions were implemented in December to help curb the province's number of COVID-19 cases.
"Prior to the restrictions, I knew there were a number of members that had travel plans," she said. "I suppose there was never a conversation after that, but I was blindsided like the rest. I thought maybe my colleagues would also be home with their families at their houses."
Pitt said she spent Christmas and New Year's Eve at home with her husband and children. While the backlash the UCP has received in the last week has been constant, Pitt said she understands and feels the criticism is warranted.
"I think Albertans have a right to be angry," she said. "There is a standard in which elected officials should adhere to. That is certainly not what happened, they made a mistake. Nobody is perfect, people make mistakes."
Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie sent a statement to the Airdrie City View that he also did not leave the province over the holidays and adhered to rules outlined by public health officials.
“My time was spent quietly at home in Cochrane with my wife and kids,” he wrote. “I do understand the very real sacrifices many have had to endure due to this pandemic and I fully appreciate the frustration constituents have expressed.”
Guthrie posted photos on his Twitter account on Christmas Day that showed he attended the third annual Jingle Mingle event in the Cochrane Alliance Church parking lot. The Cochrane Immigrant Services event, which sees volunteers dole out a free soup lunch, was modified this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guthrie also posted a photo of he and his family partaking in a games night on New Year's Eve on Twitter.
In addition to provincial government members, St. Albert Coun. Sheena Hughes received backlash after the St. Albert Gazette reported she had vacationed in Mexico, while two of Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi's staff members also took trips abroad.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
