XPost: can.politics, ab.politics, bc.politics   
   XPost: edm.general   
   From: "@nyet.ca   
      
   She surely does seem to deserve everything come her way.  She puts a   
   whole new cast on the term "entitlement".   
   ____________________________________   
   By James Wood, Calgary Herald - July 29, 2014   
      
      
   Redford air travel claims lead to calls for police investigation, ouster   
   from PC caucus   
      
      
   Tory leadership candidate Thomas Lukaszuk says Alison Redford should be   
   booted from the government caucus as the three contenders for the   
   Progressive Conservative leadership called for a further investigation   
   into the latest allegations about the former premier’s use of government   
   aircraft while in office.   
      
   CBC reported Tuesday that a leaked report by Auditor General Merwan   
   Saher showed that “false passengersâ€� had been booked onto some   
   government flights so that Redford could fly alone.   
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   The auditor found Redford’s staff blocked others from flying by booking   
   seats in advance and then removing passenger names before printing the   
   flight manifest.   
      
   Saher also concluded that Redford — who resigned as premier in the face   
   of a party and caucus revolt in March but stayed on as MLA for   
   Calgary-Elbow — derived a personal benefit by taking her daughter on   
   dozens of government flights and used a government plane when there were   
   commercial options, CBC reported.   
      
   Lukaszuk — who served as deputy premier and jobs minister under Redford   
   â€” said neither he nor other cabinet ministers were aware of the “false   
   passengerâ€� allegation.   
      
   The Edmonton-Castle Downs MLA said he would recommend to caucus that   
   Redford be removed, saying she doesn’t have a place in the PC caucus.   
      
   â€œI believe not.  But unfortunately the premier doesn’t have the   
   authority, the power, to alone take out a person from caucus.  That is a   
   caucus decision but I imagine caucus would arrive at the same   
   conclusion,â€� said Lukaszuk, who has said in the past that Redford should   
   consider resigning her legislature seat.   
      
   Redford’s constituency office said the former premier — who has only   
   spoken to reporters once since her resignation — was not available for   
   comment.   
      
   The Alberta Party issued a news release Tuesday calling for the Tory   
   caucus to fire both Redford and Finance Minister Doug Horner, whose   
   department oversees the government’s fleet of four aircraft. The   
   Liberals said both Redford and Horner need to be held to account.   
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   The Opposition Wildrose Party is calling for Premier Dave Hancock — who   
   is serving on an interim basis until PC party members vote for a new   
   leader in September — to ask the RCMP to investigate whether criminal   
   activity took place.   
      
   PC leadership hopeful Ric McIver told reporters in Edmonton that he was   
   â€œoutragedâ€� by what appeared to be “a pattern of falsifying government   
   documents.â€�   
      
   The Calgary-Hays MLA said it wasn’t up to him to determine whether a   
   criminal investigation should occur but “the proper authorities should   
   find out who is responsible and the person or persons responsible need   
   to be held accountable.â€�   
      
   Asked whether Redford should remain in caucus, McIver said it was up to   
   Albertans to determine who sits as an MLA.   
      
   A written statement from Jim Prentice — who has the support of most of   
   the caucus in the race to become Tory leader — was mum on Redford’s   
   status within the PC government.   
      
   But the former federal cabinet minister called the latest revelations   
   â€œunacceptable.â€�   
      
   â€œThere is no room in government for the blatant abuse of taxpayer   
   dollars, and if public officials fail to observe this the RCMP should be   
   called to investigate and these abuses must be met with the full force   
   of the law,â€� said Prentice’s statement.   
      
   Lukaszuk said he supports a police investigation on the government   
   aircraft use.   
      
   But he said that if he becomes PC leader and premier he will also   
   appoint an independent investigator to review all of Redford’s expenses   
   to determine whether a further criminal probe is warranted.   
      
   The auditor’s report says Redford and her former chief of staff denied   
   any knowledge of the altered passenger lists.   
      
   Redford asked Saher to review the use of government aircraft in March   
   amid an uproar over her travel, including a $15,000 flight to Ottawa to   
   catch the prime minister’s flight to Nelson Mandela’s memorial in South   
   Africa.   
      
   Redford paid the entire $45,000 cost of the South Africa trip, which   
   included a $10,000 commercial flight home, as well as $3,100 for trips   
   on government planes for which she invited her daughter’s friends along.   
   She also paid the cost of a flight to B.C. where she attended a   
   relative’s funeral.   
      
   Kimberly Nishikaze, spokeswoman for the auditor general’s office, would   
   not comment on the leaked report but said it had only been shared with   
   the entities that were audited — executive council and the air   
   transportation services program.   
      
   Saher’s final report will be issued in August, she said.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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