Brussels, Bucharest, and Juneau are three international destinations where Tory MLAs were scheduled to visit during Government of Alberta sponsored trips today.
Environment and Sustainable Resources Minister Diana McQueen and Intergovernmental and International Relations Minister Cal Dallas have embarked on a pan-European tour, meeting with business and government leaders in a handful of continental counties. Backbench Tory MLA Richard Starke, from Vermilion-Lloydminster, is on government business in Juneau, Alaska.
On Wednesday, Health Minister Fred Horne is scheduled to depart for a trip that will take him to Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Belgium.
On October 1, 2012, I published a Google Map, tracking the travel of Alberta’s Tory cabinet minister and MLAs on government business. Here is an updated map, which includes all published scheduled government of Alberta travel by cabinet ministers and MLAs from November 2011 to February 2013.
View Alberta Cabinet Minister and MLA Travel November 2011-February 2013 in a larger map
Trips added since November 2012 include Middle-Eastern travel by Minister Dallas, trips to the United States by Calgary-Bow MLA Alana DeLong, Calgary-Foothills MLA Len Webber, and Strathcona-Sherwood Park MLA Dave Quest, a trip to Chicago by Premier Alison Redford and the four trips mentioned at the beginning of this post.
As I wrote in October, I understand the value of sending cabinet ministers on these trips to promote our province abroad and I generally believe it is in our best interest, but there reaches a certain point when return on investment needs to be demonstrated.
4 replies on “Where in the world are Tory cabinet ministers?”
Not so much where as why? Most of those back benchers certainly can’t have any reason to be in…Juneau?? DeLong? Quest??
Instead of flying around the world to learn how to deliver cost effective health care, Fred Horne could catch a flight to Quebec. According to a recent Fraser Institute report Quebec provides better value for money in health care than Alberta. Or here’s a revolutionary idea, he could try talking to the health care providers right here in Alberta…not glamorous but certainly relevant.
The optics on this one aren’t good, regardless on the return. The province is about to release a budget they’re already warning us about. It would have been a good gesture to cut back travel expenses leading up to the budget. Given the size of the budget and what the government spends on travel would make it little more than a symbolic gesture but a good move nonetheless.
Allison Redford didn’t come back from South Africa for us. Apparently neither did her globe trotting, jet setting caucus.