To say that I’m incensed about the recent decisions made by particular UCP MLAs, party bureaucrats, and one of our own elected municipal servants to travel abroad during the pandemic is putting it mildly. Their selfish and disgraceful actions warrant calls for much more severe consequences from the electorate.
Our politicians disrespect constituents by trying to explain away their actions. Jason Kenney tried to brush it off by saying, “I think it was an error in judgement.” Those paid public servants who travelled beyond their place of residence did not make innocent choices as they want us to believe. Taking a trip abroad takes planning and forethought.
My family lost our father to Covid in December and we were not able to grieve together nor support each in person through this extremely emotional time, because we followed the guidelines set forth by Alberta Health. I’m deeply offended by the weightless reason given by Grande Prairie MLA, Tracy Allard, that the past 17 years it’s been her family tradition to travel to Hawaii. How many Albertans and other Canadians sacrificed their family traditions to reduce the transmission of Covid and the burden on our health system.
Public health officials and politicians have been clear that they discourage travel, yet members of the UCP and our own municipal councillor, Sheena Hughes, thought this did not apply to them. Their behaviour is arrogant and disregards the public good. By offering platitudes, pathetic excuses and publicly pressured resignations, they have created an atmosphere of mistrust and elitism.
Despite the actions of these politicians, the public needs to be steadfast to prevent more people from enduring the lonely and painful death of Covid.
T. Bachynski, St. Albert
