The chief of staff to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is defending a business class flight he charged to taxpayers, citing a health condition that increases his risk of blood clots.
The flight in question was a return flight he took from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Calgary earlier this year when he accompanied Smith to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.
The CBC reported this week that the two-day stop in Florida for Smith, Rob Anderson and two others cost Alberta taxpayers about $10,000, with Anderson’s flight home billed at nearly $3,000 alone.
Anderson said on social media that a blood disorder, called Factor V Leiden, requires him to elevate his legs as much as possible when sitting upright for long periods of time.
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“If I’m sitting upright for extended periods, my blood pools and clots which can break off the inside of my veins and cause a fatal embolism or stroke,” Anderson wrote Monday, adding that the condition has almost killed him on multiple occasions.
“That means for flights over three hours, I need to fly business in order to not risk leaving my family fatherless (and) husbandless.”
The CBC report cited comments Smith made in March defending Anderson’s accommodation when the Opposition NDP questioned the expense in a committee meeting.
Anderson said the report was an attempt to smear him and that he’ll continue to travel with Smith as long as he’s medically able. He said he was sharing the details of his condition “to avoid further smears.”
The CBC reported that flights for the trip cost taxpayers nearly $8,000 in total. It also covered Alberta’s senior representative to the United States James Rajotte and Smith’s principal secretary Becca Polak.
Before being Smith’s chief of staff, Anderson served as the executive director of the premier’s office.
Anderson was a member of the Alberta legislature from 2008 to 2015. In 2010, he crossed the floor from the Progressive Conservatives to the Wildrose Party after Smith became leader.
In 2014, Anderson joined Smith in crossing the floor to the Progressive Conservatives.
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