The Alberta NDP caucus wants the Speaker of the legislature to investigate whether United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney broke rules with a video shoot, but Kenney’s team says it’s much ado about nothing.
Government House Leader Brian Mason says they have witnesses and a photo of Kenney shooting a video on legislature grounds this week using staff from the UCP legislature office.
Legislature staff are paid by taxpayers, and Mason notes there are clear rules prohibiting using these staffers for partisan political activity during business hours.
And he notes that Kenney, while United Conservative leader, is still a private citizen pending whether he wins a byelection in Calgary next week.
READ MORE: December byelection to determine if Jason Kenney sits in Alberta legislature
Watch below: In November 2017, Fletcher Kent filed this report after Premier Rachel Notley called for a byelection in Calgary-Lougheed.
The NDP says the video was later posted to social media showing Kenney criticizing the Alberta’s carbon tax.
Jason Nixon, the UCP house leader, says the video was shot by a staffer who is not being paid by the legislature, and that a second staffer, who is paid with taxpayer money, came by to drop something off, but did not take part.
Nixon says the NDP are trying to distract attention from their failures governing the province.