Premier Jason Kenney gave the directive on New Years Day (Photo courtesy of CPAC)

By Shaun Penner

Allard Returned Thursday: Kenney

Alberta MLAs, staffers given “clear directive” from Premier to return from abroad

Jan 1, 2021 | 1:46 PM

Despite calls from the opposition NDP for her to step down, Grande Prairie MLA Tracy Allard will be remaining in her position as the Minister of Municipal Affairs for the Province of Alberta.

This comes as Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced a “clear directive” for all cabinet ministers, MLAs and political staff to return home from vacations abroad and not to leave the country “for the foreseeable future”.

On December 31, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that Minister Allard had taken a vacation to Hawaii recently, despite calls from public health officials for Albertans to avoid non-essential travel and stay home this holiday season.

Kenney says he was made aware of the Grande Prairie MLA’s trip to the United States on Tuesday afternoon, which he says she left for on December 19.

He says he immediately contacted Allard upon receiving the information, calling for her to return to Alberta. Kenney claims she complied and returned from her trip on Thursday morning.

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“We should be here, at home, plain and simple, if we carry a position of public trust,” said the Premier.

Kenney says a “few” other MLAs and government staffers have travelled aboard over the holiday break. He says he recognizes that those in positions of public trust must maintain a higher standard than is expected of “the folks in the general population” when it comes to making the choice to travel internationally amidst a global pandemic and recently increased public health restrictions here in Alberta.

“I take responsibility for having not clearly set out and communicated a policy against international travel for senior decision-makers in government.

“I should have done so.”

Kenney began the much-delayed press conference New Year’s Day by boasting of the province’s many steps to ensure safe international travel to and from Alberta, including a testing pilot program between the State of Hawaii and Air Canada and WestJet.

This is why he said he will not be disciplining Allard or other government officials who chose to travel internationally this Christmas season as they followed all legal requirements and public health orders.

“I don’t think it’s reasonable for me as a leader to sanction people who very carefully followed the public health orders and the legal requirements, in a province where we have been, frankly, encouraging safe travel.”

Kenney says he has spoken to Allard, where he expressed his disappointment in her decision to travel abroad.

“She, I think, recognizes that it was the wrong thing to do,” said Kenney. “She has certainly apologized to me.”

Minister Allard will be addressing the media at 3:30 p.m. New Year’s Day in regards to this matter.