Samurai swords among gifts to Alberta MLAs
Gifts built relationships, recipients say
Alberta MLAs defended on Monday the practice of receiving gifts — many from the province’s biggest corporations — as part of building relationships, dismissing concerns they were attempts to influence provincial power brokers.
Gifts in 2012 included tickets to a Paul McCartney concert and a set of samurai swords.
Speaker Gene Zwozdesky said such gifts can be part of efforts to reach out to the community.
Alberta MLAs who took freebies from major corporations, unions, arts organizations and business groups defended the practice Monday, saying the gifts are given to build relationships, not in an attempt to influence provincial power brokers.
Political perks in 2012 included free tickets to the soldout Paul McCartney show at Rexall Place, an evening with former U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney and a gift set of samurai swords.
Tory MLAs accepted tickets to galas, theatre performances and horse extravaganza Cavalia, while opposition party members took flights and hotel rooms at conferences in Los Angeles, Niagara Falls and throughout the United States.
Many of the gifts came from the province’s biggest corporations — including Enbridge, Telus and Capital Power — while others came from the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, a book club and a constituent.
Speaker Gene Zwozdesky said he accepted two Paul McCartney tickets from Telus because he supports McCartney’s work and because his daughter studied at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts.
“I also used to have a rock band, and sang a lot of Beatles songs,” Zwozdesky said. “So meeting the genius behind the compositions ... was a major highlight in my life.”
Asked why Telus might give such a gift, Zwozdesky said: “Telus reaches out to community people in a variety of different ways, and this would be one of them. It helps people to come to understand each other.”
Zwozdesky said the gift was reviewed by the ethics commissioner and made public. “There’s no conflict whatsoever,” he said.
Alberta’s Conflict of Interest Act requires MLAs to disclose their income, assets, liabilities and financial interests. Ethics commissioner Neil Wilkinson released the records Thursday.
Under provincial rules, any gift over $400 must be publicly disclosed; any gift under $400 can remain unreported.
Deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk also accepted McCartney tickets from Northlands. He could not be reached for comment.
Calgary-North West MLA Sandra Jansen accepted six theatre tickets from Theatre Calgary, including two for Pride and Prejudice and four to A Christmas Carol.
“It was lovely for them to offer, I was happy to accept them. I don’t accept anything else,” Jansen said.
“I don’t see a problem with anything that is completely transparent and out in the open,” she said. “There has been no attempt made to influence me in any way. ... Nobody lobbied me for anything.”
Calgary-Fort MLA Wayne Cao enjoyed an evening with former U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney courtesy of the Bon Mot Book Club, and he accepted a set of samurai swords from a constituent reported only as G. Herder.
Cao could not be reached for comment.
Rookie Tory MLAs Steve Young, Sohail Quadri, Matt Jeneroux and David Dorward all accepted tickets to Cavalia from the show’s producers.
Energy Minister Ken Hughes and Conservative MLAs Dave Rodney and Steve Young accepted tickets to a Peter Lougheed memorial gala from CIBC, Tervita and Enbridge, respectively.
Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith accepted a flight and 19 nights of accommodation from the U.S. State Department as part of the International Visitors Leadership Program.
NDP MLA Rachel Notley flew to Los Angeles for a conference courtesy of the United Steelworkers, while Liberal Leader Raj Sherman’s ticket to a conference in Niagara Falls was paid for by the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians.
In addition to her salary, Premier Alison Redford continued to receive an undisclosed sum of money from the Progressive Conservative party as “Leaders Expenses Reimbursement.”
She did not receive any money as part of the controversial Benefit Plan Trust, which the party paid to then premiers Ed Stelmach and Ralph Klein, but refused to explain to Albertans.
Tory party executive director Kelley Charlebois could not be reached for comment Monday.