Premier says she pays the bill for family travel

EDMONTON – When it comes to mixing family and business trips, Premier Alison Redford says she foots the bill.

Redford commented on her family’s travel practices after she was asked by Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith how she covers the costs of family members who might accompany her on out-of-province trips.

“We have rules where if my family travels with me, I pay those expenses even though I believe that since the time I became leader of the party and premier of the province there were rules in place that would have allowed my family to travel with me,” Redford said Monday night, speaking to the MLA committee reviewing the proposed 2013-14 budget of the executive council, which includes the premier’s office.

Politicians’ expenses have come under increased scrutiny in recent years. Conservative MLA Christine Cusanelli apologized in December after it was revealed she billed $4,078 to her government credit card for two plane tickets to take her mother and daughter to the London Olympics. She repaid the money and was later dropped from cabinet.

In September, Redford introduced a tougher expense policy for MLAs, deputy ministers, press secretaries and other senior government officials. She also promised to post those expenses online every two months.

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Redford noted Monday that when her husband, Glen Jermyn, and daughter, Sarah, travelled with her to the London Olympics, the family paid for everything related to their expenses.

“In fact, partly because of the scrutiny, my husband makes a particular point of not travelling with me on business because the climate that we now see with respect to these issues is to the point where it puts him under so much discomfort that it’s easier for him not to travel, than to actually travel, with me,” Redford said.

Smith said Tuesday she asked the questions to seek clarity about how the premier’s travel rules compare to opposition members.

“I think there should be some equivalency. If on occasion, MLAs are allowed to take family members on certain trips, I don’t see why the premier shouldn’t be allowed to, too,” she said.

“But it sounds like she is taking quite a rigid view on that and I think the public will be satisfied with that.”

Opposition leaders also asked Redford about security staffing. Smith noted that Premier Ralph Klein had a three-member security team and that Premier Ed Stelmach had with a five-person team. She said that there are currently 15 security positions connected to the premier.

Redford said any issues related to her security are handled by the Solicitor General’s department and that she does not have a say in the size of the security detail.

Josh Stewart, press secretary for the Solicitor General, said he could not comment on the details of the premier’s security. But he said there is a formula that considers family structure, the pace of the premier’s schedule and threat assessments.