NDP wants ethics of UCP’s trip to India examined
The NDP’s caucus chair is calling on Alberta’s ethics commissioner to investigate a recent overseas trip taken by UCP Leader Jason Kenney and delegates, suggesting one stop on the tour potentially benefited energy shadow minister Prasad Panda.
While in India last week, Kenney and Panda visited Reliance Industries Ltd., an industrial giant that owns businesses in energy, petrochemicals, textiles and natural resources.
It’s the same company Panda disclosed he held publicly traded securities in on his Dec. 31, 2017, public disclosure statement. In a Twitter post, Panda also said he helped build the refinery.
“This appears to be the same old tired backroom politics the PCs used to practice,” NDP caucus chair Heather Sweet said in a statement Tuesday.
“There are questions regarding whether Mr. Panda derived any personal benefit from this trip. Mr. Kenney has repeatedly said this trip was taken in his capacity as leader of the Opposition. This needs looking into.”
When reached by Postmedia earlier Tuesday, a UCP official said there was no conflict of interest involved with the visit, saying party delegates were visiting the “largest petrochemical facility in the world” and could not see such a facility elsewhere.
“There is no conflict of interest. Mr. Panda received no financial benefit from visiting the Reliance facility and they were not in any position to make promises (nor would they),” UCP spokeswoman Christine Myatt said. Myatt said the ethics commissioner reviewed the trip in advance as the delegation used a private flight to get to the facility.
“During the visit, Mr. Panda and Mr. Kenney touted Alberta oil as a viable and stable source of energy for India’s rapidly growing economy,” she stated. “We make no apologies for that. It’s clear that the NDP continues to look for ways to distract from the UCP’s highly successful mission to India.”
The Office of the Ethics Commissioner confirmed Panda sought the advice of the office.
“As far as we are currently aware, (he) has not contravened the Conflicts of Interest Act in any way,” said Kent Ziegler, chief administrative officer for the Office of the Ethics Commissioner.
In a release wrapping up their trip, the UCP said Kenney advocated for Alberta oil and gas in India during a stop at the facility.
Panda said in a video posted to the UCP Facebook page that “we had great meetings, meetings with oil company executives, there are all energy majors in India.”