Barnes went to Saskatchewan in December for business meetings
Drew Barnes MLA for CypressMedicine Hat told media that he travelled to Saskatchewan in December.
He is reported to have stated that on Dec. 14 he drove on his own to Saskatchewan to meet two business associates individually. He returned the next morning having observed social distancing, the hygiene protocols and health guidelines of each province.
When a number of MLAs travelled outside the country over Christmas and New Year, Barnes was asked by the News whether he had travelled. He said he had not travelled “internationally” for about a year.
At that stage he was not questioned about whether he had travelled outside of Alberta.
Barnes did not respond to a request for an interview on Friday evening.
Currently Alberta’s guidelines for travel within Canada are as follows: “Travellers to other provinces or territories may be subject to additional restrictions and health measures at their final destination. Please check with local authorities before leaving Alberta.”
The advice from the Canadian government on international travel is to avoid it.
“Canadian citizens and permanent residents are advised to avoid all nonessential travel outside of Canada until further notice to limit the spread of COVID-19,” states a federal government website.
Over Christmas the decision of a number of MLAs to travel internationally resulted in an outcry from Albertans. Local people interviewed by the
News said that those who had participated in establishing the COVID restrictions that applied to Albertans had to be held to a higher standard and should have known travelling internationally was not appropriate.
The public outcry resulted in the resignations of Tracy Allard minister for Municipal Affairs and Premier Jason Kenney’s chief of staff. Five other MLAs were stripped of responsibilities.