EDMONTON, AB – UCP MLAs who traveled outside the country over the holidays have been stripped of their legislative responsibilities.
Premier Jason Kenney took to Twitter Monday to say he’d accepted the resignation of Municipal Affairs Minister Tracy Allard who spent time in Hawaii last month.
He also asked his Chief of Staff Jamie Huckabay to step down, which he has done.
Kenney says MLA Jeremy Nixon has stepped down as Parliamentary Secretary for Civil Society and MLA Jason Stephan has resigned from the Treasury Board.
MLAs Tanya Fir, Pat Rehn, and Tany Yao have all lost their Legislature committee responsibilities as well.
The Premier says he is listening to Albertans who are sending a clear message that there should be real consequences for the actions of his MLAs.
He says “millions of Albertans have made real sacrifices over the past 10 months to help keep each other safe. They are right to be angry about people in positions of leadership vacationing outside the country.”
Transportation Minister Ric McIver will serve as interim Minister of Municipal Affairs and the Premier’s Principal Secretary Larry Kaumeyer will serve as interim Chief of Staff.
Premier Jason Kenney’s full statement posted to social media on Monday afternoon:
Albertans have every right to expect that people in positions of public trust be held to a higher standard of conduct during the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of Albertans have made real sacrifices over the past 10 months to help keep each other safe. They are right to be angry about people in positions of leadership vacationing outside of the country.
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. Over the weekend, I have listened to Albertans who are sending a clear message that they want real consequences for these actions.
That is why I have accepted the resignation of Municipal Affairs Minister Tracy Allard and have asked my Chief of Staff Jamie Huckabay to step down, which he has done.
I have also accepted the resignation of MLA Jeremy Nixon as Parliamentary Secretary for Civil Society and MLA Jason Stephan from Treasury Board. They as well as MLAs Tanya Fir, Pat Rehn, and Tany Yao have lost their Legislature committee responsibilities. By travelling abroad over the holidays, these individuals demonstrated extremely poor judgment.
Transportation Minister Ric McIver will serve as interim Minister of Municipal Affairs, and my Principal Secretary Larry Kaumeyer will serve as interim Chief of Staff.