Alberta's history of political expense scandals   
      
   Let us take you back to 1992.   
      
   That year, expenses caused outrage after taxpayers ponied up more than $1.3   
   million to finance living allowances for MLAs, including some who lived less   
   than a 30-minute drive from the legislative building.   
      
   A handful of cabinet ministers in the then-Progressive Conservative government   
   used the money to make mortgage payments on houses and condos in Edmonton,   
   sold for large profits when they retired.   
      
   Then, as now, no receipts were required from MLAs to justify their living   
   allowances.   
   ______________________   
   2007:   
      
   Fast forward to 2007, when the auditor general of the day exposed lavish   
   bonuses and gifts funded on the taxpayer dime, and MLAs who routinely exceeded   
   living allowances.   
      
   Later that year, then-tourism minister Christine Cusanelli landed in hot water   
   after billing thousands of dollars of personal charges on her government   
   credit card — an appetizer for the all-you-can eat buffet of 2013 and 2014   
   spending scandals under    
   then-premier Alison Redford.   
      
   Alison Redford's real claim to fame in the history books of Alberta will be as   
   the premier who returned Alberta to debt. Premier Alison Redford — and her   
   Finance Minister Doug Horner — took Alberta from Ralph Klein's "Paid in   
   Full," to $8.3 billion    
   in debt as of today.   
      
   Unless her successor radically changes course, Alberta will have a debt of $21   
   billion by fiscal 2016–17. And while she did it, she tore up Alberta's best   
   financial transparency legislation, repealing the Fiscal Responsibility Act   
   and the Government    
   Accountability Act.   
      
   Controversy and resignation   
      
   In 2013, Redford attended the funeral of Nelson Mandela, representing her   
   province, and as part of her personal history with Nelson Mandela, whom she   
   worked with and for in the fight against Apartheid.  Her attendance created a   
   controversy when it was    
   revealed the Alberta government covered the approximately $45,000 cost for her   
   trip, including roughly $10,000 for a privately chartered flight to return to   
   Alberta from South Africa for a swearing-in of the new Alberta Cabinet.   
   Redford's travel further    
   elicited disapproval from Albertans when it was revealed that Redford's then   
   12-year-old daughter and a friend had accompanied her several times on   
   official government planes.   
    Further public allegations were that Redford's executive assistant charged   
   $9,000 in lodging while working in Edmonton, averaging $200 a night for what   
   the press referred to as "luxury hotel" stays.[66]   
      
   Despite winning the party leadership and general election thanks to a   
   coalition of unions of progressives, she disappointed many of them by not   
   fulfilling campaign promises, as her administration moved to the right after   
   2012. At the same time she    
   angered fiscal conservatives as the province accumulated debt of $8.7-billion   
   (the Canadian Taxpayers Federation projected that it would reach $17-billion   
   by 2016).   
   ___________________________   
      
   Kananaskis Golf Course   
      
   Alberta’s auditor general is reviewing a controversial contract between the   
   government and a private company operating a publicly-owned Kananaskis golf   
   course. During this year’s election, NDP MLA Brian Mason asked the auditor   
   general to investigate    
   why the government paid $9.3 million to the company, which is known to have   
   connections to the PC Party.  The golf course has been closed since the 2013   
   floods in southern Alberta.   
   _______________________________   
      
   Airplane sale   
      
   The rushed sale of the government’s fleet of airplanes led to a $5 million   
   loss for Albertans. This contradicts claims by former PC premier Jim Prentice   
   that the sale of the planes netted $6.1 million for the government. The planes   
   were sold after Ms.    
   Redford and PC MLAs faced harsh criticism for alleged misuse of the government   
   air fleet for personal and partisan activities.   
   _______________________________   
      
   Heritage Fund   
      
   When premier Peter Lougheed created the Heritage Savings Trust Fund in 1976,   
   the government dedicated 30% of annual revenues into the rainy day fund “to   
   save for the future, to strengthen or diversify the economy, and to improve   
   the quality of life of    
   Albertans.”  The PC government halted non-renewable resource transfers to   
   the fund in 1987, when it was worth $12.7 billion.  Investments into the fund   
   were only started again in 2004.   
      
   Despite Alberta’s immense natural wealth, the fund is now only worth an   
   estimated $17.4 billion.  (2015)           [as of 2018 end, $17.6 billion]   
   _____________________________________   
      
   March 15, 2019   
      
   UCP Leader Jason Kenney shrugs off RCMP investigation of political   
   contributions   
      
   United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney is shrugging off revelations   
   that the RCMP have taken over an investigation into allegations of "irregular   
   political contributions" to a former UCP leadership candidate with alleged   
   connections to Kenney's    
   leadership campaign.   
      
   But a political scientist said the timing of the growing scandal couldn't be   
   worse for the UCP and its leader.   
      
   Kenney's 2017 UCP leadership win was tainted by allegations his campaign ran   
   Callaway as a so-called "kamikaze" candidate to attack and undermine Kenney's   
   main rival, former Wildrose leader Brian Jean.   
      
   Callaway dropped out of the leadership race before the vote and endorsed   
   Kenney. Both men have denied their campaigns colluded to undermine Jean.   
   ______________________________   
      
   Vote smart, Albertans.  Do you really want Conservatives in control of your   
   tax dollars again?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)