EDMONTON – With an election looming and her party getting beaten up over scandals, critics are accusing Alberta Premier Alison Redford of becoming a regular no-show during legislature question period.
Redford was in the legislature building Thursday but skipped question period to complete other work, said her spokesperson, Kim Misik.
It was Redford’s fifth no-show in the last seven legislature sitting days over the past two weeks.
“Is she not here again?” said Wildrose critic Rob Anderson.
“You know, all you can say is she’s running scared…This is someone who says she has so much respect for the legislative assembly, (so) where is she? I barely see her.”
Redford missed three days last week to travel to speak to decision-makers in the United States. She was absent Wednesday to attend a funding announcement across town at the Telus World of Science. Her busy week also consisted of congratulating a woman on her 113th birthday and shaking hands in Medicine Hat.
Critics say that amounts to campaigning before the writ has dropped, which doesn’t make them happy – especially since they say it’s happening while they’re in the dark on an election date.
Opposition Liberal Leader Raj Sherman said by his count Redford has missed question period for half of the spring sitting, which began Feb. 7.
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“She’s using taxpayer time and money in a desperate bid to get re-elected,” he said. “Photo ops, radio ads, web ads, publicity blitzes…It’s all happening on the taxpayers’ dime, and it’s shameful.”
While Sherman’s Liberal Party has used the situation to have a little fun at the Premier’s expense, posting her picture on a milk carton with the caption “Have you seen Alison?” But experts say she may be the one laughing in the end.
“This is a good strategy to ‘get out of the dome’ as Klein would put it and meet regular Albertans. I think her strength is her ability to connect with people,” said political scientist Chaldeans Mensah, a professor at MacEwan University.
As Redford deals with fallout from a number of issues, some also are speculating whether Redford is facing some in-house discord.
Question period – a daily 50-minute cross-floor verbal slugfest – is quietly acknowledged by parties on all sides to be often little more than a theatre of self-serving announcements or grandstanding accusations. But in recent weeks, the opposition has gleefully forced Redford time and again to rise in the house to speak to a spreading stain of scandals with an election expected to be called in days or weeks. ‘
One imbroglio involves Gary Mar, Redford’s former rival for the Progressive Conservative party leadership and currently the Hong Kong-based Asia trade envoy. Redford suspended Mar without pay last week after learning he may have tacitly offered to open doors in Asia for benefactors who attended a $400-a-plate dinner to help him pay off campaign debts.
Political opponents say she was too quick to hire Mar last fall for the $265,000-a-year job. And earlier this week, John Chomiak, a senior Tory who organized the Mar fundraiser, said it was a “stupid move” for Redford to suspend Mar without first talking to some of the people involved. Mar says he is innocent.
During the leadership race Mar enjoyed the support of most of the caucus, compared to just a handful of government members for Redford.
The premier has also had to do damage control this week when it was revealed an all-party legislature committee was paying politicians thousands of dollars to sit on a panel that hasn’t met in years. On Monday, Redford froze the committee pay for all her members pending a review.
“I suspect there may be a problem with how much support she’s got in her caucus right now,” said Notley. “Maybe this just isn’t a friendly place for her to be right now and it’s not just the opposition.”
Mensah seems to agree: “Being in the legislature has not been very productive for her so I think this is a strategy to get her out to meet people ahead of the campaign coming up,” he said.
According to the Premier’s office, though, every event Redford attended this week was official government business and she has complete confidence in her deputy premier and cabinet to cover for her.
The office adds that the premier has an aggressive schedule, which includes international missions, government announcements, as well as meetings, and unfortunately, sometimes that takes her away from question period.
With files from Vassy Kapelos, Global News
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